Kingdom Hearts: The Light's Keeper
by MemoryStormSanctuary
Summary: Y is a young keyblade wielder in training well on her way to becoming a master one day. But when the day she's waiting for arrives, things begin falling apart. Suddenly strange creatures called Unversed are spreading darkness across the worlds and a strange masked boy is warning about her dying light. She's forced to break a rule she never thought she could. Never leave home.
1. Prologue

**Prologue; Connect**

The blonde girl shuffled nervously on her feet, looking around the room. It was large, with three thrones near the front of the room. Otherwise, it was empty. She wished it wasn't. She wished there was anything to keep her distracted from the sinking feeling in her gut.

In her hand, she clutched a small plush that looked like a cat. She had refused to leave it with her other belongings. It was something the Master decided it was alright for her to keep as comfort. She was just a child anyway. A child a long way from home.

The sound of footsteps made the girl jump turning to look for the source. Seeing no one the girl cowered down, turning back to the thrones clutching the plush even tighter. The Master had told her to wait there while he went to gather his other apprentices. She was to be the fourth he had taken in.

"We're not supposed to be here." A girls voice hissed. The blonde snapped her head to find the source. Once again she didn't see anyone. The room was still empty beside herself. "The Master said to wait." The girl's voice hissed again.

"Come on, don't you want to meet her?" A boys voice replied. The blonde slowly crept towards the sound of the voices, eager to see who it was. They sounded like the other apprentices she would be training with.

"That's not the point. The Master said she's a little shaken. We shouldn't bother her until he's here." The girl's voice replied. The blonde came to a stop, standing beside the doorway into the room. She imagined the two arguing were just outside that door.

"Well, he's taking too long. Honestly, where is Ven that it's taking the Master this long to find him?" The boy asked. There was a pause in the conversation. "Hey, don't give me that look." The boy said.

"Ven was in the library. You know that's on the other side of the castle. He's probably on his way back now." The girl said. The blonde heard a huff that she guessed was the boy giving up. She sighed quietly, walking away from the door to the center of the room where she had been standing before.

The blonde was beginning to regret her decision. Though it wasn't entirely her decision. She had been pressured into following the Master. Why she wasn't sure. But she was homesick already. This place was so different. A huge castle for only five people. It seemed lonely. Where she came from there were so many more people. What if she didn't get along with the others already here? There weren't any others here to make friends with. She'd be on her own. A place she'd never been before. The girl found herself holding the plush to her chest tightly.

The sound of the door opening caught the blondes attention. She turned around to see a boy with brown hair entering the room.

"Terra!" The girl's voice called out in exasperation. The boy turned and motioned to the girl still on the other side of the door.

"What?" The boy asked.

"Get back here, right now!" The girl ordered. The blonde watched the brown-haired boy in interest. He glanced at her and smiled apologetically.

"Why bother? She's already seen me?" The boy asked. He turned his back to the door and turned towards the blonde. He smiled at her again in a welcoming manner. It calmed some of the nerves the blonde had since arriving at the new world. Her grip on the plush lessened. "You're the new apprentice, right?" The boy asked. The blonde nodded.

"Yeah, you're one of the older ones?" She asked though it was obvious. The boy smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm Terra." The boy introduced himself. "Aqua's the girl standing outside the door, she's being a stickler for the rules." He continued pointing towards the door. A girl with blue hair was peeking in the door. She looked nervous.

"You know, the last time we talked to a new apprentice without permission they fell into a coma for a month." The blue haired girl said in annoyance. Terra rolled his eyes, ignoring her worry. The blonde haired girl, however, stepped back in concern.

"Ven was hurt, that's all it was. She looks fine." He said. Looking at the blonde he noticed her concern. He laughed a little. "Don't worry, you'll be fine." Before he could continue Aqua's voice cut him off.

"Master Eraqus!" Aqua said in surprise. "I tried to stop him, really." She said. The black haired master entered the room with Aqua and a blonde boy following him. He looked at Terra with a frown.

"Terra, I told you to wait outside the room." Master Eraqus said, disappointment clear in his voice. Terra looked down at his feet. He opened his mouth to speak, but the blonde spoke before he could.

"It's ok, I was getting lonely anyway." The blonde said stepping forward. The Master looked at her with interest. Terra looked at her with a smile, surprised that she stood up for him.

"Very well, however, I expect more obedience in the future." Master Eraqus decided. He gave the blonde a warm smile that settled her nerves. Maybe this place wasn't so bad. "Now, all of you." Master Eraqua said turning to the other three apprentices. "This is Y, she'll be training with us, as you're all aware of by this point. Please introduce yourselves."

Terra only waved, which made Y laugh. Master Eraqus didn't remark, but Y assumed that meant he knew Terra had already introduced himself. Aqua elbowed him playfully.

"I'm Aqua, though Terra already told you that." She said with a smile. Y smiled in return. The blonde boy of the group was looking at Y in interest.

"Why is your name Y?" The blonde asked. Terra covered his mouth while trying not to laugh. Aqua looked at the blonde in shock. Master Eraqus looked down at him and sighed in exasperation.

"Ven!' Aqua yelled. Y on the other hand laughed. The others looked at her in surprise.

"You have no idea how many times I asked that." Y said through her laughter. "I never got a good answer either." She continued. The blonde nodded.

"Oh, ok." He said. "I'm Ventus, but you can call me Ven." He greeted, smiling as he put his hands behind his head. Y smiled in return, surprised how much she was liking this group.

"It's nice to meet you all." She said. Maybe things really wouldn't be as lonely as she thought.

The blonde boy stumbled on to the ground. He fell to his knees, not at all surprised it had come to this. He wasn't even sure why he was running at this point. He had known this would happen for years now. It was only a matter of time. But still, every instinct inside of him told him to run. Maybe he could escape it. Maybe he didn't have to die.

The boy stood up and began running again. He ran through the woods he had always hidden in since his childhood. It was his home turf. If he was going to survive, this would be the place.

But luck wasn't on his side.

The blonde tripped again. This time he felt his ankle twist and heard a loud crack. He didn't have to try standing to know it had broken. He pushed himself into a sitting position muttering under his breath.

"Of course, not like I'm running for my life or anything." He growled. He dragged himself to a tree and sat back against it. He sighed looking up at the dark night sky. It seemed appropriate. He wondered, in the back of his mind, if she was looking at the sky at this moment. It would be nice to know she was thinking of him in his last moments.

"I found him!" A voice yelled. The blonde boy looked towards the voice. It belonged to an old friend who had turned on him so easily. A boy with black hair.

"Of course it's you." The blonde said sarcastically. "You think it could've been your sister? If I'm going to die I'd rather she did it. At least she doesn't think I'm a monster." He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

"Be quiet. Stop complaining. You know this has to be done." The boy said. In his hand, he held a weapon shaped like a key. "Now tell me, where's your sister?" He asked.

"Gone, I don't know any more than you do." The blonde boy replied. He didn't move, he was waiting for the last blow. But to his surprise, there wasn't one. The kid was probably waiting for back up. He didn't think he could take the blonde out on his own.

"What the hell?" The black haired boy cried out suddenly. "Where did this beast come from?" Hearing that question the blonde opened a single eye. There was a black creature that looked almost humanoid, with long antenna and bright yellow eyes. The black-haired boy was gone. Probably ran away.

The blonde boy blinked at the creature.

"Well, I suppose there are worse ways to die." He decided. He closed his eyes yet again leaning his head back. He tried not to think about how much it would hurt. Instead, he focused on the pain he was currently in. It was weird, he thought. How he was focusing on current pain to keep his mind off the pain dying may or may not bring.

The black creature slowly approached the injured blonde. It watched him, with its yellow eyes focused on his heart. It stopped directly in front of the blonde. It paused for a minute as if to confirm something. After its short pause, the creature raised its hand and plunged its hand into the blonde's chest.

The blonde boy gasped in surprise, his eyes shooting open. It didn't hurt, surprisingly. But it was cold. Very cold. The cold crept from the creatures hand through the rest of his body. It felt like ice was flooding through his veins. He looked down as the creature removed its hand from his chest. In its hand was an orb of pure darkness that blended into the surrounding area.

The boy felt his eyes fall shut as if falling asleep. This was ok. It could be worse. At least it didn't hurt. His last thought was a rather sudden one.

I hope she's ok.

The blonde boy was very surprised when he opened his eyes. He didn't think his eyes would ever open again. But he had trouble placing why. Had something happened to him?

He pushed himself up. He was in an unfamiliar area. A wasteland of some kind. It didn't really make any sense. But at this point, the boy wasn't inclined to question what was going on. He looked down at himself. He was surprised to see a mark on the back of his left hand. A black heart, outlined in purple with a purple x through it.

"So you're finally up." A boys voice said. The blonde looked up to see a boy with raven hair looking at him from on top of a pile of rocks. The blonde frowned at the other boy.

"Where am I? What happened?" The blonde asked. The last thing he could remember was running. He couldn't really remember where he was running to, or exactly why he was running. But he had been running. The ravenette only rolled his eyes.

"Ask somebody else." He said. The blonde narrowed his eyes.

"Like who?" He asked.

"Ah, it seems our surprise visitor has awoken." A new voice said. The blonde turned to face the new voice. He was surprised to see an old man. He glared at him.

"What the hell is going on?" The blonde demanded. The old man chuckled at him.

"Calm down. We don't mean any harm." The old man said. The blonde grit his teeth. He clenched his fist, anger welling up inside him.

"That's not what I asked." He growled. "I asked what the hell was going on." Around him, he was surprised to see vortexes of darkness opening. From those vortexes, various creatures of black shadows appeared. He stepped back in fear and surprise, falling backward. The boy above him laughed. The creatures continued to appear, coming out of nowhere to mass around the blonde.

The blonde struggled to stand again, pushing away the creatures. He was afraid. He didn't understand what was happening.

"Get the hell away!" He yelled. To his surprise all of the creatures obeyed. Vanishing just the way they had come. The blonde panted heavily, still in shock.

"They responded to your anger. You can't control them yet." The old man said, earning the boys attention. The boy stood up again, brushing off the dirt.

"Yet?" He asked.

"I can teach you. If you will allow me. Of course, I require your assistance in return." The old man explained. The blonde frowned and considered it. But it didn't take him long to come to a conclusion.

"I'm in." He said, focusing on the old man. What could this old man need him for? Whatever it was, it couldn't be that bad. Maybe he could figure out the truth in the process, and fill the short gap in his memory.

It couldn't go too badly.


	2. Chapter I

**Chapter I; Under the Stars**

The blonde girl stared up at the clear night sky. Her chocolate brown doe eyes assessed each star in turn, trying to find one in particular. She spent so many nights doing this. It was a promise she had made before leaving her home for what seemed to be the rest of her life. She promised to always look to the sky. All worlds shared the same sky, so wherever he was, he would be looking at the same sky as her.

"Hey! Y!" A voice called out making the girl turn. Behind her was a spiky-haired blonde boy smiling warmly at her. His blue eyes shone brightly despite the night. It looked as if a thousand stars were reflected in his gaze. Y felt her heart race a little as it always did when she saw him.

"Hi, Ven." Y greeted with a smile. "What are you doing up so late?" She asked. Ven put his hands behind his head like he so often did. His bright smile remained as he looked up at the stars.

"There's a meteor shower." He replied happily. "I thought you would have noticed since you were looking up at the sky." He said. Y looked up to the sky again. Just as Ven had said, bright lines of light streaked across the sky. Y took the in an amazed breath. How had she not seen them until now?

"Wow, that's amazing." Y said breathlessly. Ven looked down at her in confusion.

"You really didn't notice?" He asked. Y shook her head, still looking up. Her eyes reflected back the light of the stars making them seem to glow.

"I was too busy thinking I guess." She said. Ven tipped his head to the side. He dropped his arms and walked over to where Y sat. He dropped to the ground beside her, looking at her with innocent curiosity.

"What were you thinking about?" He asked. Y shrugged, picking at the grass.

"My homeworld." She replied. Ven smiled brightly before laying back to watch the stars. He crossed his arms behind his head once more.

"You're the only one out of us who can remember where they came from, aren't you?" Ven asked. Y had answered this question many times, but Ven always asked. It was true of course. Ven had amnesia and couldn't remember very much of anything before the Land of Departure. Aqua, the older girl that trained with them, had been at the Land of Departure practically her entire life. She was too young to remember where she came from. And Terra, the last apprentice of the master, he never spoke of if he could remember or not. He wasn't much older than Aqua when he came to the world, so Y guessed he didn't remember his home. Y, unlike all the others, clearly remembered her world and all the people in it.

"Yeah, I am." Y answered softly.

"That must be hard," Ven said with a frown. Y shrugged looking back to the stars.

"It can be. But I'm glad to be here. And I know they would want me here." She said. Ven seemed to think about her words before smiling.

"That sounds great. I hope where ever I came from was like that." He said. Y smiled down at the blonde and nodded. She had heard from Aqua some strange man had brought Ven here. An old friend of the masters. Why they never found out. "You should tell me a story about your world," Ven said suddenly. Y looked at him shocked.

"Now?" She asked. Ven nodded. Y tapped her chin thinking. "Well, there is one, from ages ago." She said. Ven smiled brightly.

"Tell me it." He said excitedly. Y smiled and laid back beside Ven.

"A long time ago there was a set of twins. A boy and a girl. They had been raised in the forest outside of town by a very kind man. The girl was very kind and gentle. People from all around compared her to the sun, always warm and seemed to radiate light. Her name was Hiko. The boy was much quieter than his sister, but still very kind. He spoke only the truth and knew a great deal. He was often times compared to the moon, quiet and distant so it seemed. His name was Yoruko." Y began. Ven closed his eyes, listening intently to the girl's story.

"The world was peaceful, but a disease was spreading across the land. The disease was darkness. It crept into the hearts of many turning them into monsters. It poisoned their minds and made them unable to tell friends and family from enemies. People were dying."

"I'm not sure I like this story." Ven interrupted. Y playfully hit his arm.

"No interrupting." She said. "Anyway, it gets better. I promise." Ven nodded, not daring to speak again. Y sighed, before returning to her tale.

"The man who had raised the twins soon fell into the darkness. But Hiko couldn't accept that. Despite Yoruko's repeated attempts to pull her away, Hiko went to the man. She pulled him close to her heart and took the darkness away from him into her own heart. The man returned to himself and Hiko was perfectly fine, as if nothing had happened.

"When others heard of what Hiko had done they rushed the ones affected to her. Yoruko tried to tell his sister to turn them away. He didn't think it was wise for her to take the darkness into her heart. Hiko ignored him. She took the darkness from everyone brought to her without question. No matter what the darkness was she would take it. She would give them a place to stay, and a reason to live. Yoruko did what he could to slow those coming to her, but it wasn't enough.

"Soon, almost everyone was saved. But Hiko was falling ill. The people once covered in darkness had turned to light. But Hiko's heart of pure light had turned just as black as the night. Yoruko rushed to his sister. He pulled her close and tried to take the darkness from her before it was too late. He had known if she took too much she would die, but she hadn't listened. He took so much darkness from her, his own heart too became black as night. But he couldn't do enough. Both twins fell to the ground, curled up together as if asleep. The darkness had poisoned both of them. My world forever remembers them as heroes who stopped the darkness."

Ven was silent after Y had finished. Y almost thought he was asleep for a moment.

"That's sad." Ven said. "They both died."

"Better both than one." Y said softly. "They died together, which is how any twin would want to go. They can't imagine a second without the other. Even more, Yoruko tried to save his sister, which is heartwarming."

"If you say so," Ven replied. "I still think it's sad though."

"That's better than some of the stories. That's probably one of the happiest." Y said with a laugh. Ven smiled hearing her laugh. They sat in silence, watching the stars. Y felt her eyes grow heavy. It was probably a good idea for her to go inside. But she didn't want to leave Ven. Instead, she allowed herself to fall asleep there on the grass.

What seemed like seconds later Y was woken by Ven yelling.

"Whoa!" Ven yelled sitting upright. Y shot up as well, blinking her eyes in surprise. She looked to Ven, confused by his sudden outburst. The reason for his outcry became apparent at the sound of an older girls laugh. "Give us a break, Aqua," Ven said.

Behind the pair was a rather tall girl with short blue hair. She was smiling down at the two, bent over so her hands touched her knees. Her eyes were the same blue as her hair and were filled with laughter. Y crossed her arms and attempted to glare at the older girl but failed.

"You hopeless sleepyheads." Aqua chided. "You know, you should have at least brought a blanket." She said. Ven frowned looking up at the sky.

"But- Did I dream that place up? It really felt like I'd been there before...looking up at the stars..." he said. From the sounds of it, he was mostly talking to himself. Y couldn't decide what he was talking about, perhaps something from before the Land of Departure. Aqua laughed and patted his head.

"'Cept you've always lived here with us." Aqua said. Ven nodded, looking down. Aqua smiled at him gently, in the motherly way she always seemed to have. The group of three walked to the edge of the cliff and sat down looking at the sky.

"Hey, Aqua, Y," Ven said. Y glanced at him from the corner of her eyes.

"Hm?" Aqua asked, not looking towards the other two.

"Y'ever wonder what stars are? Where light comes from?" Ven asked. Y smiled looking up at the sky. She laughed a little, surprised he didn't already know.

"Hmm," Aqua said in mock thought. "Well they say-" she was cut off before she could finish by a voice from behind.

"That every star up there is another world." The voice said. The group turned around to see a boy around Aqua's age. He was tall with a muscular build. He had brown hair and clear blue eyes. Aqua smiled at him.

"Terra." She said in greeting. He nodded towards Aqua before walking a little closer to the group.

"Hard to believe there are so many worlds out there besides our own." Terra said, looking to Ven. Y rolled her eyes and snickered.

"Maybe for you." She muttered. Ven heard her and grinned. Terra shot her a playful glare but didn't acknowledge her comment.

"The light is their hearts," Terra continued on. "And it's shining down on us like a million lanterns." He said.

"What?" Ven asked, looking at Terra in confusion. "I don't get it."

"In other words, they're just like you, Ven." Terra explained. Ven stood up from the cliff and walked over to Terra. He crossed his arms looking at Terra.

"What does that mean?" Ven asked.

"That Terra's bad at explaining things." Y said. Terra shot her another glare that she just shrugged off.

"You'll find out someday, I'm sure." Terra said, smiling fondly at Ven after turning his attention away from Y. Ven frowned.

"I wanna know now." Ven said. Terra chuckled at him.

"You're too young to know now." He said. To Y it sounded like an excuse. One that they couldn't really use since Aqua and Terra had learned this when they were about Ven and Y's age.

"Quit treating me like a kid!" Ven said, clearly aggravated by the way Terra was treating him. Beside Y, Aqua began to laugh. Y looked at her with a curious expression but didn't ask. Terra and Ven turned their attention to Aqua as well.

"Hey, what are you laughing at?" Terra asked. Aqua shook her head while still laughing.

"I can't help it." She managed to get out before laughing again. "You two would make the weirdest brothers." Terra and Ven looked at each other in confusion. Y smiled and joined Aqua in laughing. It was true enough. Though they were always together, almost like an actual family, they would be strange brothers. But maybe not, siblings didn't always agree after all.

Terra and Ven soon joined in the girl's laughter. After a moment they sat down again, looking up at the stars. Y leaned her head to rest on Aqua's shoulder. Aqua looked down at her with a smile and patted her head. Y glanced at Aqua before moving her head, allowing Aqua to stand up.

"Terra, you and I have our Mark of Mastery exams tomorrow." Aqua reminded him. She reached into her pocket to grab something as the other three stood as well. "I made us good luck charms." Aqua said as she tossed something towards Terra. He caught it with ease. It was an orange star-shaped charm with a heart in the center.

"Whoa!" Ven said looking at Terra's charm. Aqua laughed.

"Here." She said tossing a green charm to Ven, then a pink one to Y.

"We get one too?" Ven asked in surprise.

"Of course," Aqua said. "One for each of us." She held out her own charm, which was blue. Y held hers out right beside Aqua's. Terra and Ven followed suit, holding them together in a circle. "Somewhere out there, there's this tree with star-shaped fruit." Aqua explained. "And the fruit represents an unbreakable connection. So as long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing can ever drive you apart. You'll always find your way back to each other. Technically, I think you're supposed to make them with seashells, but I did the best I could with what I had."

"Sometimes you're such a girl," Terra said while rolling his eyes. Y laughed a little as Aqua glared at Terra.

"What do you mean by 'sometimes'?" Aqua asked. Terra didn't reply with anything more than a shrug. Y laughed again glancing over at Ven. He was frowning as he looked at the good luck charm.

"So this isn't a real good luck charm?" Ven asked. Aqua smiled at him softly.

"That's yet to be seen." She admitted. "But I did work a little magic on it." She continued, with a smile.

"Really? What?" Ven asked. Aqua held her charm up to the sky, almost as if trying to place it among the thousand stars looking down on them.

"An unbreakable connection," Aqua said. Y chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"That's not really magic, you know." She said. She too held her charm up, looking at it with interest. "But I really hope it works."

"We should head back," Terra suggested, watching the girls with amusement. Y turned and looked at him and nodded.

"Right." Ven agreed.

The four walked back towards the place they called home. Aqua stopped for a moment, looking up at the stars. Y noticed her fall behind and stopped as well. She let her own gaze wander to the sky. A shooting star streaked across the sky, leaving a trail of light. Y closed her brown eyes and made a wish.

Y felt a tap on her shoulder from Aqua. Y looked at her with a smile. Aqua returned the smile before running to catch up with the boys. Y followed her, slowing her pace as she reached them.

 _That would be the last night we ever spent under the same stars._


	3. Chapter II

**Chapter II; The Start**

The blonde boy skidded across the dry ground of the wasteland. He collided with a rock formation, causing him to hiss in pain. He glared at the boy standing in front of him holding a keyblade. The boy with the key had spiky raven black hair and yellow gold eyes. He wore a skintight black and red suit with an extra bit of fabric around the waist.

"Looks like I win again." The ravenette boy said cockily. The blonde glared and pushed himself to his feet. He spat off to the side, trying to get the dirt out of his mouth. He wasn't surprised to see there was also blood mixed in.

"Only because you were hiding behind those stupid Unversed like always." The blonde said. The ravenette glared at him, taking a threatening step towards him. The blonde didn't back away, meeting the ravenette's menacing look with one of his own.

"What was that?" The ravenette asked. The blonde smirked.

"You heard me." He said, crossing his arms. "If you weren't constantly summoning the Unversed in the middle of our little match, I could beat you with one hand tied behind my back." The blonde continued.

"It's called using your resources. Maybe if you actually tried using the Heartless you wouldn't get your ass kicked so bad." The ravenette countered. The blonde boy narrowed his purple eyes.

"It's called you're a coward who can't fight one on one." He said, venom filling his voice. The ravenette glared at him once again.

"Fine, let's go again. And to make you stop throwing your little hissy fit I won't use the Unversed." He said, raising his chin making it appear he was looking down at the blonde. The blonde copied his movement.

"Fine. Let's get started." The blonde challenged. He flicked his wrist summoning two daggers in his hands. The daggers were as long as his forearms in total, the blade making up about eight inches of that. The handles were black inlaid with purple designs. The ravenette snickered.

"You can't hope to beat me with those toothpicks." He said. He stepped back from the blonde and raised his keyblade.

"Like hell I'll use anything else." The blonde replied. He was just about to attack the other boy when a commanding voice rang out through the air.

"That is enough!" The voice said. The blonde looked over his shoulders, glaring at the owner of the voice. The ravenette lowered his keyblade. Behind the blonde standing upon a rock formation was an old man. He was leaned forward with his hands behind his back. He wore a long black coat over top a simple white shirt and black pants. He was bald, with only a grey goatee. His eyes were yellow and held a menacing look. "The time for training is over, we must begin our mission." The man said.

"Come on, I'm sure there's time for one more round." The blonde said calmly, doing his best to wave away the old man's orders. The old man narrowed his eyes at the blonde, clearly unimpressed.

"The time for the Mark of Mastery exam is nearly upon us. If we are to lure those three from the Land of Departure it must be then." The old man said. The blonde only rolled his eyes in exasperation. "I expect you to be prepared to leave soon."

"Yes, Master Xehanort." The blonde said. He flicked his wrist, banishing his daggers. He turned to the ravenette boy and pointed. "This isn't over by a long shot." He said before walking away. The ravenette snickered.

"Oh yeah, you're just lucky the Master stepped in, or I would have had to kick your ass twice." He taunted. The blonde rolled his eyes once again.

"Yeah right, Vani." He snickered, waving the ravenette off over his shoulder. "You should be thankful that round didn't get a chance to start. I would have wiped the floor with you." The ravenette caught up with the blonde and began walking beside him.

"In your dreams." The ravenette said, shoving the blonde's arm in a playful manner. The blonde smirked at him and returned the shove.

"You're just jealous." The blonde said.

"What? Over a newbie like you?" The ravenette asked. "You're just lucky the old coot had room for you in his plans." He continued. He smirked at the blonde beside him, expecting him to give up at that point.

"Had room?" The blonde asked, rolling his eyes yet again. "I'm the reason this plan will actually work." He said. The ravenette only frowned at him, a glare forming in his yellow eyes. The blonde shrugged it off. "But who cares? You know anything about this Land of Departure place?"

"No, not the place really. Know a few things about the people." The ravenette replied. The blonde nodded.

"Let's see what it's like then." He said smirking.

Y stood in her room, staring at the small plush in her hands. Her room was messy and disorganized. Her desk had several different stacks of paper on it as well as a few books from the library that she should probably put back. The bookshelves above her bed had hardly any books. What books were there weren't straight at all, some were even laying on their side. There were various knick-knacks on the shelves as well, taking up most of the room meant for books.

The plush in her hand resembled a cat. It was grey with black stripes and had white paws, muzzle, and belly. Its ears were black and its eyes were blue. It wore a cape and had a pouch on its front. On its back was a strange pink heart like symbol.

"Hey Y, Aqua said the guest just showed up." Y jumped a little and turned towards the door. Ven was looking at her with clear concern. "You ok?" He asked.

"Fine, just thinking about something." Y replied. Ven looked at her quizzically.

"Oh, you've been thinking a lot recently." He said. Y nodded looking back down to the plush in her hand. Ven watched her for a minute before speaking again. "Where did you get that?" He asked. Y smiled a little.

"My brother gave it to me when we turned ten. He said it would keep away nightmares." She said fondly. Ven blinked in surprise.

"I didn't know you had a brother," Ven said. Y looked at him in thought. She thought she had mentioned it before, but it was possible she hadn't. It was always a difficult topic for her. Leaving him behind had been the hardest part of coming to the Land of Departure. But of course, he had been the one to insist she go with Master Eraqus.

"I guess I never mentioned it." Y said with a shrug. "I'll be down in a minute." She said, addressing the reason Ven had stopped by in the first place. Ven nodded and left. Y sighed setting the plush down and turning to her desk. She had a report she was supposed to do for Master Eraqus half finished. She was supposed to turn it in the next day, but she doubted she'd have it finished by then.

"Tick tock, you're running out of time." A voice said. Y jumped turning to see who had said that. It didn't sound like anyone from the Land of Departure.

Behind her was a boy wearing a red and black suit. There was an extra bit of fabric around his waist that looked almost like a skirt. His face was covered by a mask, so Y couldn't see anything about his looks.

"Who are you? How did you get here?" Y asked. The boy chuckled, ignoring her questions.

"That light of yours will only shine for so long. Better get out of here before it fades away." He said. Y frowned, her eyes narrowing at the boy. What he said made no sense. Why would her light fade away? It's not like she was dying or anything. "But maybe it's better you stay here. Then you won't have to watch your friends die."

"What?" Y asked. Her hands clenched into a fist as she took a step towards the boy. "You'd better tell me what you mean before I have to clobber you." She ordered. It didn't surprise her when the boy ignored her threat. He only laughed.

"Better make up your mind." He said. Out of nowhere a portal of black, purple, and dark blue smoke appeared. Y jumped back from it, afraid of what it might do. The masked boy who had been taunting her calmly walked through the portal. It vanished as soon as he was gone. Y blinked a few times then shook her head. She couldn't worry about it now. She was already late.

The blonde boy frowned from his place to the side of the room. He was already regretting agreeing to this entire plan. It was boring just standing here, waiting for things to fall into place. It would be over a hell of a lot sooner if they just forced everyone to the keyblade graveyard. So what they'd have to deal with the Master too. With enough Heartless and Unversed they could overpower them all.

The blonde glanced up, searching the room. Up front by the thrones, Master Xehanort was discussing things with Master Eraqus. Probably planting the seeds of doubt he needed to so whichever one was Terra wouldn't pass the test. In front of the thrones, the two hopefuls were standing. They were occasionally exchanging words but not often. Even more rare one of them would look over at him. Then across the room was the late arrival. The spiky-haired blonde boy was looking all around. Glancing at the door, the thrones, the two about to take the test, and of course the other blonde across the hall.

Only one was missing.

The blonde gave a heavy sigh looking down at the ground. He was supposed to be socializing. Earning their trust. But he was too lazy, it wasn't worth the bother. If they were interested enough they would talk to him first.

"So you're Master Xehanort's apprentice?" The blonde looked up to see the brown-haired boy standing in front of him. This one was Terra if he remembered correctly.

"Yeah. And you're the soon to be Master?" He replied calmly. Terra nodded with a proud smirk. The blonde noted he wasn't making any attempts at being bashful.

"My name's Terra." He said. The blonde nodded.

"I'm X." He said. He glanced up for a moment. His eyes landed on the two Masters who were still talking. Master Xehanort looked pleased that X was finally talking to the others.

"X, huh," Terra repeated. X prepared himself to make a smart comeback but was spared the effort. "So why were you brought along?" Terra asked.

"Supposed to observe," X said with a heavy sigh. "But if it takes any longer to start I might just take a nap." He added. Terra laughed in reply. X watched him carefully out of the corner of his eye. He didn't really sense any darkness in Terra. Not anything unusual. Maybe Master Xehanort was wrong.

"Yeah, I suppose they have a lot to catch up on. I've only ever seen Master Xehanort once." Terra said. He glanced towards the two Masters. Their conversation showed no signs of letting up.

"They should save it for later. I'm sure you just want to get this over with, I don't imagine the nerves are pleasant." X said, looking in the same direction Terra was. Terra laughed nervously.

"You're right there. But I think Master Eraqus might be stalling. We're missing one of us still." Terra explained. X tried to look surprised by this. From Terra's reaction, it seemed he managed to pull it off.

"There's another apprentice?" X asked, shock filling his voice. Terra nodded.

"Yeah, she's supposed to be observing. But I haven't seen her all morning." He explained. This time he looked over his shoulder, looking to see if all other apprentices were there. One was still missing. Terra looked back to X with a sheepish smile. "You're not Master Xehanort's only apprentice, are you?" He asked.

"Uh," X said. "Yeah. I am." He decided. Terra looked at him in question, obviously unconvinced by his lie. Which was, of course, the goal. "I, mean, I hear he used to have another one. But he gave up or something and he's not around anymore." X continued, trying to make it seem like he was putting effort into the lie. If he wanted to he could lie and Terra would never know. There would be a lot of that before long.

Terra looked at X suspiciously but didn't say anything on the matter. He again glanced over his shoulder at the other apprentices.

"That was Ven," Terra said. "The boy across the room. Master Xehanort just brought him here one day. Never explained why, from what I could tell." He continued looking back to X. X shrugged.

"I don't know. Never was told myself." He said.

The blue haired girl from the center of the room glanced over at them. She looked back to the Masters before walking over to join the two.

"Oh. Hey." Terra greeted her as she joined them. She smiled at him, before turning her attention to X.

"Hello, I'm Aqua." She said. X smiled at her calmly. She wasn't looking like much of a threat.

"X, pleasure to meet you." He said. Aqua looked at him with interest. X mentally prepared himself for whatever comment he was about to get. He knew one was coming.

"That's an interesting name." She said simply. X sighed heavily.

"Guess my parents were aiming for that unique angle," X replied. Aqua laughed a little. Terra gave a chuckle too.

"Are you training to be a keyblade master too?" Aqua asked curiously. Terra gave her a look like that was a stupid question. Under any other circumstances, it probably would be.

"No, I don't have a keyblade. I think this is his way of trying to convince me." X replied. Terra looked at him in shock. Aqua also seemed surprised but she kept it hidden better than Terra had. Before either one could comment on it, Master Eraqus cleared his throat. "About time this thing started," X complained.

Aqua and Terra left where they had been standing to return to the center of the floor. They waved to X as they left but didn't say anything. X glanced over to where the third apprentice stood. He was still alone. X glanced up at Master Xehanort, who was now sitting on the throne closest to X. He was focused on the two standing in front of him.

"God Vani, you better not have killed her," X muttered under his breath.


	4. Chapter III

**Chapter III; Mark of Mastery**

Y liked to think she was great at arriving just in the nick of time. After all, she had never been late for training once, even if Ven had to shake her awake a few minutes before training started. She had always managed by some miracle to make it to training on time. Barely on time, but still on time. She was hoping her luck would continue to hold out. But of course, on what could be considered the most important day in years, she finally ran out of luck.

Y stopped in front of the doors to the hall the test was being held in. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her breathing. She had run most of the way to the hall from her room. The encounter with the strange masked boy had shaken her. So she took a short time to brush off the encounter before rushing to the hall.

Y brushed her hair back behind her ear and tugged on her dress to straighten it out. The dress was rather simple. It was predominately silver with gold from just under her chest to the bottom, forming something like an apron pattern. The sides of the dress were a little longer than the rest and the entire thing was uneven. Underneath the dress, she wore black shorts. She had black knee-high socks and wore silver boots. An x crossed her body, with a heart in the center just over where her heart would be. It was the same heart everyone from this world wore. On either shoulder, she had pieces of armor that connected to silver sleeves.

Deciding she didn't look as if she had just woken up Y approached the door and opened it just a slight bit to peek inside. She cursed under her breath when she heard Master Eraqus speaking. Without much thought, she slipped in and found her place off to the side beside Ven.

"What happened to just a minute?" Ven asked under his breath. Y shot him a glare, before looking around the room. Her eyes landed on an old man sitting in one of the thrones at the front of the room.

"Lost track of time, trying to finish a report." Y replied, barely above a whisper. "What did I miss?" She asked. It didn't seem to be much, as Master Eraqus just seemed to be starting his speech.

"Not much. It just started when you walked in." Ven replied back. Y nodded turning her attention back to the Master. Across the room, she took note of another boy standing, however, she didn't pay him much mind.

"But I'm sure our guest, Master Xehanort, did not come to see our youngest prospects in years fall short of the mark. I trust you are ready." Master Eraqus said. Y glanced back to the old bald man, who she assumed was Master Xehanort. Something about him made Y shiver.

"Yes." Terra and Aqua said in unison.

"Then let the examination begin," Eraqus said. He raised his own keyblade and summoned five balls of light. They seemed stable and well controlled. How these orbs would be of any help in the test Y wasn't sure. But she wasn't inclined to question the Master.

Aqua and Terra summoned their keyblades, preparing themselves for what seemed like what would be simple. Before they could begin, however, there was a bit of darkness around each orb. The orbs then began to move erratically, like they suddenly had minds of their own. Several surprised gasps sounded.

Not wasting a second Aqua and Terra moved to take out the orbs. As they attacked one of the orbs moved, heading directly towards Ven and Y.

"Ven! Y!" Terra and Aqua said in unison. Before the orb reached the two observers they drew their keyblades. Ven's was dark in color and looked like it was meant to be held backward. Which was fortunate as Ven did hold his key backward. Y's key was a light goldish yellow. The guard was rectangular but curved at the top, the rod looked like a sword and had small bits sticking out near the guard. At the tip of the blade, there was a crescent shape that had three blades coming off of it making the teeth look something like a sun. The charm was a star.

Ven hit the orb, destroying it before any damage was done.

"Don't worry about us. You guys focus on the exam." Ven said. Aqua frowned immediately after hearing this.

"You two are in danger here. Go wait in your room." She ordered. Y and Ven exchanged an exasperated glance.

"We can handle ourselves. We've been waiting to see this for ages." Y said, returning her gaze to Aqua.

"There's no way we're going to miss you two becoming Masters," Ven added. Aqua looked ready to argue, but Terra stopped her.

"They've been training just as hard as us. They'll be fine." Terra said calmly. Aqua reluctantly nodded in agreement. She looked over at Ven and Y with a worried frown.

"Stay sharp you two." She ordered before turning her attention back to the light orbs.

Without any more words, the group started on the orbs. Though Master Eraqus had only summoned five, they appeared to have multiplied. There was now around ten. Y and Ven stayed as close to the edge as they could, slashing at the ones that came close to them. But it was hard to fight in a confined location, so they eventually moved away from the wall. Y noticed across the hall the extra boy was fighting as well, but he didn't have a keyblade, which Y thought was strange. She shook her head and returned her thoughts to the fight at hand.

Y had just destroyed what she thought was the last orb. She looked up at Ven with a proud smile. But the look on his face was one of surprise. Y quickly realized something was wrong. She looked over her shoulder to see an orb coming straight at her at an alarming pace. She flinched away from it, though she knew it wasn't smart and braced herself to be hit. It was a surprise when nothing but several gasps of shock came. Y cautiously looked over her shoulder. She froze in shock at what she saw.

Her brother was standing, frowning at her. One hand was on his hip while the other was at his side holding his dagger. But his eyes weren't brown like Y remembered them. They were purple. Maybe it wasn't X.

The boy who looked too much like her brother wore a grey long-sleeved t-shirt and black pants. He had a belt that hung crooked on his hips with another belt attached to it that hung down one leg. There were two belts wrapped around each of his thighs as well as his upper calves just below his knees. His boots were black and came up to his mid-calves. He wore a long hooded black coat that reached the top of his boots over top the outfit with a belt around the waist that was left undone. The coat was stitched part way up the back and sleeves with what looked like the letter X. The stitching repeated itself on the front on either side of the zipper. On his left hand was a black fingerless glove, and a spiked black choker necklace wrapped around his neck.

"Three years and you still can't get into a fight without needing me to save you." The boy said with playful annoyance. Y blinked in surprise. Nope. Definitely X.

Master Eraqus cleared his throat, telling them to return to their places. X went to go back to the other side of the room. Before he could Y grabbed onto his arm and stopped him, pulling him to the same side her and Ven had been on. X rolled his eyes but didn't argue. Ven gave Y a weird look but decided not to question it, turning his attention to Master Eraqus.

"That was unexpected, but one must keep a still heart even in the most trying of circumstances. It was an excellent test, one I chose to let unfold. Which brings us to your next trial." Master Eraqus said. Aqua and Terra nodded and proceeded to the exact center of the room where they stood looking at each other with their keyblades drawn. "Now, Terra and Aqua, the two of you will face each other in combat. Remember there are no winners, only truths. For when equal powers clash, their nature is revealed." Master Eraqus continued. Seeing both Aqua and Terra were ready he spoke once again. "Begin."

Aqua and Terra instantly began their sparring match. Terra was going for heavy hits that Aqua was easily dodging. It was no surprise as they'd been training together for so long they knew how to fight each other maybe a little too well. Y turned her attention away from the fight to her brother. He was watching with surprising interest. Not even noticing Y looking at him.

Everything about him still seemed like X. His hair was the same shade of blonde as hers. It was pretty much the same length it had been too, not too long but still long enough it could be put in a ponytail. His skin was just a bit darker than hers like he had been out in the sun for a long time. He stood with the same relaxed demeanor he always had. His eyes, though a different color, still had the same shape and somehow gave the impression he knew far too much. Y turned her attention back to the sparring match.

Aqua and Terra were still exchanging blows. Aqua nearly hit Terra, her keyblade hardly an inch from his face. Terra's hand outstretched and became coated with darkness. Y gasped and without thinking slipped her hand into X's and squeezed. X returned the squeeze in a reassuring way instantly. Just like he always did. It seemed the only thing wrong with him was the color of his eyes.

The sparring lasted a few minutes more until Master Eraqus ended it. Aqua and Terra again stood in front of the thrones. Both Masters Eraqus and Xehanort stood in front of them.

"We have deliberated and reached a decision. Terra, Aqua, you both performed commendably. However, only Aqua has shown the Mark of Mastery." Master Eraqus said. Y gasped looking to Ven. He looked just as surprised as her. "Terra, you failed to keep the darkness within you sufficiently in check. But, there is always next time. That is all. Aqua, as our newest keyblade master you are entitled to certain knowledge. Please wait here for further instructions." He continued before leaving with Master Xehanort. Y released X's hand before darting over to Terra and Aqua. Ven followed her lead. X watched them a moment before rolling his eyes and following the two Masters out of the room.

"Terra, I'm sorry." Ven said cautiously.

"Yeah, I really thought you had it." Y said. Terra didn't look up at them. He kept his gaze on the floor. He looked at his hand in question. It was the hand the darkness had spread over.

"The darkness," he said softly as if the others weren't meant to hear him. "Where did it come from?" Y frowned at him. She opened her mouth to answer but was stopped before she was even able to. "Sorry, but I need some time alone," Terra said before walking off.

Y frowned looking to Aqua and Ven. Ven was looking at the ground sadly, probably feeling bad for Terra. He really seemed just as skilled as Aqua. What was a little darkness? Aqua smiled at them both softly.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. We can try talking to him later." Aqua said. Y and Ven both nodded without a word. "You two go wait in your rooms. We'll sort this out later." She insisted. Ven nodded, not arguing this time. Y nodded, though she didn't intend to go to her room. Maybe she'd be able to catch X and his Master before they left. Get a chance to talk to her brother.

Without another word the two left the hall, leaving Aqua to wait for the Masters return.

X walked a little ways behind Master Xehanort. It has been no surprise Terra hadn't made the Mark. It was going just as the old coot planned it. It was almost scary how much Eraqus trusted him. Especially since Xehanort had put those scars on Eraqus' face.

Nearing the stairs X saw Vanitas leaning against the wall, his helmet off and held at his side. He was watching X and the Master make their way towards him with a bored look. They stopped in front of Vanitas.

"What do you make of Ventus?" Xehanort asked calmly. Vanitas looked away and snickered.

"He ain't gonna cut it. Somebody's gotta break that loser in." Vanitas said. X couldn't decide if that was actually what he thought or if he just wanted to beat Ventus to a pulp. Both were possible.

"Not here you won't. We have to keep up appearances." Xehanort warned. X snickered earning a glare from Xehanort.

"I wouldn't mind dropping the act," X said calmly. Xehanort glared at him yet again before turning his attention back to Vanitas. Vanitas was smirking at X.

"I know. He just needs a little incentive to leave home." Vanitas said. He put on his mask, leaving his place on the wall. Xehanort turned to look at X.

"You know what you must do." He said simply. X nodded.

"Duping five keyblade wielders. Shouldn't be hard." He said before turning to go back into the hall.


	5. Chapter IV

**Chapter IV; Departure**

It came as no surprise to X when he found his sister just wondering the halls. If he had actually had to search for her he would have thought this place had actually changed her. But as it was turning out, nothing seemed different. She was exactly the same.

Y turned to see X before he could approach her. She blinked at him in surprise, almost the same surprise she had when he had destroyed that ball of light. Like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. The surprise faded rather quickly and was replaced with a smile.

"X." Y said. X gave a half smile, the one he knew Y would remember and saluted her in a mocking way. Y's smile grew and her shoulders relaxed. It was odd as X hadn't even noticed they were tense. "What are you doing here?" She asked, closing the gap between the two.

"Just got dragged along," X replied with a shrug. "The old coot mentioned something about wanting me to learn the powers the keyblade hold, or something like that." He continued. Y laughed a little and rolled her eyes.

"As much as I enjoy hearing the reason you were dragged here, I meant why you were still here." She said. She was watching X suspiciously like she still wasn't too sure about him. She noticed something was wrong.

"Master Eraqus wanted to catch up with baldy," X said with a shrug. "I didn't feel like listening to old men talk so I went to look around."

"Right." Y said with a nod. "You know, for him being your master you don't seem to give him much respect." She remarked. X laughed a little. The laugh was filled with sarcasm, like his laughs usually were.

"We have that sort of relationship, you know. I call him old coot and a few other choice nicknames while he calls me a brat or something." X explained. He played it off as nothing huge, and to him, it wasn't. It was even true, for once. The relationship just wasn't as friendly as he was making it seem.

"Right." Y agreed with a smile. A very forced smile. She was still doubting him.

"Are you ok?" X asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Fine." Y replied with another fake smile. X frowned and gave her a look that he knew she would understand. Sure enough, Y looked away from him and to the floor. "It's just, what happened to your eyes? They used to be brown and now they're not." She asked. X blinked in surprise. That was it?

"Oh, that," X said with a soft voice. He put a hand on the side of his face, a finger touching the corner of his eye. "It's a long story."

"We have time." Y said softly. She was looking at X expectantly now. Waiting for him to tell her. X shook his head.

"Not here. It's not a good place." X insisted. Y frowned at him and crossed her arms.

"And why not?" She asked sounding almost offended. Of course, she had come to care for this place. X saying it wasn't good had probably made her confused.

"It's a story of darkness. And I wouldn't want to taint this land of light." X explained. Y frowned yet again but nodded. Before their conversation could go any farther a bell tolled somewhere in the castle. Y looked up and around in confusion. She grabbed onto X's arm and suddenly pulled, almost throwing him off balance.

"Come on, we have to gather in the throne hall." Y explained. X nodded, allowing her to lead the way. It looked like things were finally ready to get started.

In the hall Y and X were the third to appear. Master Eraqus was by the thrones speaking to some crystal. Terra and Aqua already stood together, speaking with concerned looks. Y dragged X over to them, only releasing his arm when they reached the other two. Terra raised an eyebrow at X. He shrugged in reply.

"What's going on?" Y asked.

"We don't know yet," Aqua replied. She glanced up at Eraqus before looking back to Y. "Did you see Ven on your way here?" She asked. Y shook her head.

"I wasn't far from the library with X, didn't pass his room." She replied. X looked at his sister in confusion. Did it really matter where Ventus was? Why had they all gathered here anyway?

"Why was I dragged here again?" X asked. Y turned to him with a look that read 'really'. X shrugged in confusion. "I don't live in a location remotely like this, I don't know what's going on." He said in his defense.

"When we hear the bell we're supposed to gather here. It means something important happened." Terra explained. X nodded in understanding.

"Efficient." He said simply.

Up by the thrones, Master Eraqus turned away from a crystal he had been talking to. He frowned the moment his eyes landed on X. X tipped his head to the side confused. What had he done to make this guy dislike him?

"That was my dear old friend Yen Sid. As you know he is master no more." Master Eraqus began. His pupils all looked to him with amazing focus. Even Y was actually listening. "But he still keeps a close eye on the tides of light and darkness. His counsel serves as signposts on the road we wielders of the keyblade must walk. All the more reason, then, for concern."

The moment he said that a worried look appeared on his three apprentices face. X however only looked curious. He wanted to know why there was reason for concern. Or at least, that's what he was pretending. He very well knew what the problem was. It had been a problem for weeks at this point.

"For he tells me the princesses of heart are in danger. Not only from the forces of darkness, as you may assume. But also from a new threat - one that feeds on negativity. Fledgling emotions that have taken monster form - Yen Sid calls them the Unversed. As wielders of the keyblade, you are tasked with striking down any who would upset the balance of light and darkness. The Unversed are no exception. I tried to pass this news onto Master Xehanort, but my repeated attempts to reach him have failed. I doubt there is any connection, and yet this all troubles me." Master Eraqus continued. X frowned stepping forward.

"Wait, Master Xehanort is gone?" He asked. Eraqus looked at him in shock and nodded.

"Yes, I thought you would have known." Eraqus replied. X frowned looking down at the ground. He ran his hands through his hair nervously.

"No, I didn't. I thought he was just talking to you." X said offhandedly. He looked up at the other Master. "You said Unversed right?" He asked. Eraqus nodded at him slowly, unsure of his purpose for asking. "I wonder if those are the same monsters we fought before coming here?" X muttered. There were surprised gasps from all those around him. X had to hold his urge to smirk. These guys were turning out far too gullible for their own good.

"You've seen the Unversed?" Terra asked in shock. X nodded slowly, almost reluctantly.

"Then perhaps you could be of use on this journey." Master Eraqus said. X looked at him and nodded. "Thank you. Aqua, Terra," he said turning to the apprentices in question. "It is up to you to get the situation under control. Eliminate the Unversed and find Master Xehanort. I have unlocked the lanes between. You may use these forbidden pathways to travel between this world and countless others. The darkness looms closer than usual within these spaces, but your armor will protect you. Lastly, remember that order must be kept. You can not tell anyone there are other worlds. Now go and fulfill your duty."

"Master, what can I do?" Y asked stepping forward cautiously. Master Eraqus smiled at her softly.

"I'm afraid you and Ventus are not yet ready to leave. I must ask you to remain here." He said. Y looked at her feet disappointed but nodded.

"Yes, Master." She said. She looked very troubled like there was more she wanted to say. But she didn't speak. X assumed it was because she didn't want to sound crazy by saying a masked boy had shown up and advised her to leave the world. It wasn't an everyday occurrence after all.

Terra turned to leave the room, with Aqua ready to follow. They were stopped by Master Eraqus speaking again.

"Terra, consider this an opportunity. A second chance for you to change my mind." He said. Terra turned and looked at him confused.

"What?" He asked. Master Eraqus approached him stopping in front of him.

"You must know, I care for you like my own son. If I could have my way I would name you Master in a second. But how can I, when you are so obsessed with power? Terra, you mustn't be afraid of losing. Fear leads to obsession with power, and obsession beckons the darkness." Master Eraqus elaborated. He placed a hand on Terra's shoulder in what appeared to be a fatherly way. "You must never forget." He warned. He removed his hand from Terra's shoulder. Terra lightly bowed.

"Thank you, Master. I will not fail you again." Terra said. He smiled at the Master before leaving the room.

"X, please assist Terra." Master Eraqus said. X blinked at him in surprise. That was easier than it should have been. "I sense you understand his struggle well if anyone can guide him, it's you." Eraqus continued. X bowed to Master Eraqus, hiding the smirk he had gained.

"Of course, anything I can do to help." X agreed. He stood and ruffled Y's hair. Y smiled at him and hugged him tightly. X returned the hug on instinct. An instinct he was glad he still had.

"Good luck," Y whispered.

"Thanks. You be careful, I doubt the Unversed will just avoid this place." X whispered in reply. Y nodded as she released X and back away. X saluted to her once more before turning to follow Terra.

X caught up to Terra just outside. Terra was standing on top of the stairs leading into the forecourt. X stopped beside him and looked at him curiously.

"Why are you just standing here?" X asked. Terra looked at him surprised. Another person X had snuck up on.

"Thinking. Why are you here?" Terra replied.

"Your Master asked me to stick with you. Don't know why, but I'm not inclined to argue with a friend of my Masters." X answered with a shrug. He started down the stairs, putting his hands in his pockets. Terra followed him after a moment.

"How do you world travel, if you don't have the armor?" Terra asked. X grinned looking over his shoulder.

"I have my ways." He replied. He looked forward again, before turning back to Terra. "Tell you what, I'll meet you in the next world." He said. Terra looked surprised but nodded.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs X turned off to the side. He walked past the forecourt going to the training ground. He glanced around him cautiously before snapping his fingers and summoning a Shadow Heartless.

"Follow Terra, let me know what world he ends up in." X ordered. The Shadow bowed before going into the ground and running towards Terra. X sighed snapping once again, this time opening a dark corridor. He entered the portal before it closed behind him, leaving no trace behind.

*3*

Y watched Aqua and Terra leave the room with a frown. Master Eraqus followed after them to watch where they went. Y followed him, at least hoping to see them leave. But she was scared. The masked boy had warned her friends would die. Maybe she should go too. Just to be sure they didn't get hurt.

Y got outside just in time to see Ven activate his armor and take off. Aqua ran down the steps to try and stop him but was too late.

"No! He mustn't!" Master Eraqus said, desperation clear in his voice. There was something more than them just not being ready going on. There has to be for him to sound so desperate. "You have to bring him back." He said turning to Aqua.

"Don't worry Master." Aqua said before activating her armor by hitting the armor piece on her shoulder. She threw up her keyblade and it turned into a glider of sorts. She jumped onto it before leaving the world.

Master Eraqus turned to Y with a sad look. He tried to smile but it didn't seem to work. Y frowned at him.

"Master Eraqus?" Y asked. He shook his head going inside. As he passed Y he gently placed a hand on her head.

"I fear for them. Something has led to this." He said. Y looked at him in shock. She looked down at the ground chewing her lip.

"Master, I saw something weird earlier today. A boy in a mask." Y said. She looked up at Master Eraqus to be met with a concerned look. "He said, that the others are going to die." She continued. The Master's skin paled as he turned away, lifting his hand from her head.

"Things may be graver than I feared." Master Eraqus said as he went into the castle. Y looked after him sadly. She looked to the forecourt where all the others had left, then back to where the Master had been seconds before.

"I'm sorry." Y said before running down the stairs. She hit the piece of armor on her right shoulder. After a sudden bright light, she was covered in silver armor with accents of gold. The helmet had two pieces that stuck up, though they tilted back, almost pointing straight back but not quite. Y threw her keyblade into the air as she had seen Aqua do. It returned to her as a gold board with a silver fin on the back. Y jumped onto the board and took off, going through an opening in the lanes between just as the others had.


	6. Chapter V

**Chapter V; Heartless**

X sat in the wasteland he had grown used to, almost to the point he could call it home. He was watching Vanitas train with the Unversed. Of course, the pitiful creatures stood no chance against their creator. Most weren't even fighting back. Vanitas killed them in seconds, the dark energy going right back into him.

"Why are you here anyway?" Vanitas asked turning to X after finishing off another group of Unversed. He stabbed his key into the ground and leaned on it.

"I'm waiting to hear what world Terra shows up in," X answered leaning back. "What about you? Shouldn't you be out spreading the Unversed?" He asked. Vanitas shrugged.

"They're everywhere already. I just have to wait for that loser to get strong enough." He replied. He pulled his key from the ground and turned away from X. He summoned more Unversed and attacked them without a second thought.

"Do you think he will get strong enough, the kid seemed like a pushover to me," X asked, watching Vanitas slash his way through the Unversed.

"He has to. We don't have a backup plan." Vanitas responded while still fighting. X nodded. Beside him, a Shadow appeared. X glanced down at it with mild interest. He stood up and stretched.

"Where is he?" X asked.

 _Enchanted Dominion._ The Shadow replied. X nodded opening up a dark corridor with the snap of his fingers. He shot a glance at Vanitas before disappearing into the dark corridor.

X came out of the dark corridor near a lake. Terra was at the lakes shore looking out over the water. X smirked to himself before walking over to the should be Master. The blonde paused behind him, following his gaze out over the water.

"Have you never seen a lake before?" X asked. Terra jumped and turned to face X. X looked at him calmly with his hands in his pockets. Terra looked at him in shock.

"When did you get here?" He asked slowly.

"Just a minute or two ago," X answered calmly. He met Terra's gaze without flinching. Terra was suspicious of him, with good reason of course. It wasn't every day someone just appeared out of nowhere. And it probably didn't help X had just been in the Land of Departure and had no way of knowing where Terra would appear.

"How did you get here?" Terra asked. X frowned at the question. He knew it would come up eventually, but he hadn't expected it so soon. He needed Terra's trust, so lying was out of the options.

"If I show you, you can't freak out," X said looking at Terra. He shifted his weight so he looked to be leaning away from Terra and looked away. He was trying to appear nervous, which was something he hadn't been for a long time.

"I won't." Terra agreed with a calm voice. Apparently, X's acting had tricked him.

"And you can't tell anyone," X added. Terra looked surprised by this addition but didn't object. He nodded slowly, looking at X with curiosity. X took a deep breath before snapping. Beside him, a corridor of darkness opened. Terra jumped back surprised.

"What is that?" Terra asked.

"It's a dark corridor. That's how I world travel." X answered quietly, looking away from Terra. With a wave of his hand, he closed the corridor. He refused to look at Terra, afraid the expression on Terra's face would make him burst out laughing. His fear of the darkness was comical.

"You use darkness?" Terra asked slowly. X nodded.

"Yeah, that's why Master Xehanort took me in. To keep an eye on me. I have more darkness than light, so I was a danger to myself." He explained. There was a brief pause between the two. X glanced up at Terra. Terra was thinking, his hand resting on his chin.

"Alright," Terra decided, looking at X. "We'd better get moving." He said. X smiled and nodded. Terra was fooled.

They didn't get far from the lake when the first group of Unversed showed themselves. It was floods, the smallest of the Unversed. The dark purple creatures with bright red eyes moved around in a jittery manner. Terra quickly drew his keyblade.

"Are these the Unversed?" Terra asked. X drew his daggers.

"Well, they sure as hell aren't native to this world," X answered. Terra nodded before swinging his keyblade forward. X hung back and watched him, mostly only taking out stragglers. Though he knew Vanitas was used to the pain, he didn't want to give the masked boy more pain than necessary.

X was surprised to see Terra's fighting style was just as he'd expected. Heavy hits and brute force. He was even a bit slow. But all the same, he managed to fight off the Unversed. Mostly. One flood managed to escape, fleeing from the battlefield.

"No, you don't," Terra said before chasing after it. X gave a heavy sigh, putting away his daggers. He followed Terra at a much more relaxed pace.

The flood managed to make it to some type of bridge before Terra managed to kill it. X stopped behind Terra looking up at the castle. The castle seemed to make up most of the area up ahead. It was as if there was no town, only the castle. Countless towers rose up all over the castle. It was impressive, to say the least.

Not far ahead on the bridge was a woman wearing black and with what looked like horns. She held a wooden staff with a green gem on top of it. Terra glanced over his shoulder at X before approaching the woman. The woman turned to Terra just before he reached her. Her skin was a sickly pale green that X didn't think was normal.

"What's this? Why aren't you asleep, boy? That fool Flora cast a spell to put everyone in the castle into a deep deep slumber." The woman said looking at Terra in wonder.

"Who are you?" Terra asked. X sighed and rolled his eyes. Apparently, Terra wasn't the greatest with manners. Despite the lack of respect the woman chose to answer.

"Why, I am Maleficent, as all in this kingdom would know." She said. "Now you must reciprocate the introduction. Who are you?" She asked. Her eyes drifted over Terra curiously, like he was an interesting specimen. Her eyes briefly flickered over to X for the first time, as if she had just noticed him.

"I'm Terra, the other boy is X," Terra answered. Maleficent's eyes narrowed at X. "What do you know about the monsters that attacked us?" Terra asked. Maleficent seemed to consider this before answering.

"I give little thought to creatures so base. But I know it was only one they were attacking." Maleficent answered. Terra looked confused by her answer. He looked over to X, who shrugged in reply. The moment Terra turned back around, however, X glared at Maleficent.

"They're definitely base." Terra agreed, trying to hide his confusion. "Anyway, we're looking for someone. Ever heard of a man named Xehanort?" He asked, changing the topic.

"He would be old and bald. Kinda creepy looking." X supplied, realizing a name would be of little of help. Maleficent put her hand to her chin in thought.

"The name is not familiar to me. But I do remember an outsider leaving the castle." She said after deliberating. Terra looked surprised by this information.

"What was he doing?" Terra asked.

"I couldn't say," Maleficent answered. "If you're curious, go see the castle for yourself. The entrance is past the bridge." She offered. Terra nodded to her.

"Thanks." He said before beginning down the bridge. X prepared to follow him but stopped when Maleficent chose to spoke again.

"Perhaps he did speak of imprisoning the light." She said. Terra stopped and turned to listen to her. "'The light' could be many things. Could he have meant Princess Aurora?" She asked. Terra looked at X in question. X shrugged in reply.

"Aurora," Terra repeated before running to the castle. X gave a heavy sigh.

"Man, he's gullible," X said, half to himself, half to Maleficent. "Keep in mind he's already somebody else's pawn." X said with a glare. Maleficent merely laughed as she vanished in a pillar of flames.

X caught up with Terra in the entry hall of the castle. He was looking at X in interest like something new had been discovered about the young blonde. X looked at him in question.

"What's up?" X asked. Terra frowned.

"Do you know what she meant, that the Unversed were only attacking one of us?" He asked. X looked away and began walking into the castle.

"They weren't attacking me," X replied, shifting under Terra's gaze. Terra followed him into the castle. His keyblade was drawn and at the ready. X wasn't sure if it was to be used against Unversed or himself.

"They weren't?" Terra asked.

"I guess not," X replied simply.

"Why not?" Terra asked. His blue eyes narrowed at X in a questioning way. It was just now occurring to him how strange X was.

"I guess because I don't feel anything anymore. No negativity, no nothing." X explained. He stopped walking and turned to face Terra. Terra was very confused by what X had just said.

"How can you not feel?" Terra asked in shock. X smirked and looked away with a shake of his head.

"I don't have a heart." He answered. He took off the glove on his left hand and turned it to face Terra. Terra stepped back in shock at the sight of the purple and black emblem. "I'm a Heartless."

There was quite a bit of silence between the two. X kept his gaze down, not watching Terra as he tried to work out the situation. In his right hand, he summoned one of his daggers, in case Terra decided to attack. Terra meanwhile was reassessing X. The boy was significantly smaller than him. Maybe even smaller than Ven, but it was hard to tell without them being right next together. His body language wasn't threatening. It was like he was trying to disappear.

Terra gave a heavy sigh.

"I'm not sure what that means, but I don't think it's that big of a deal. After all, you haven't attacked anyone like the Unversed." Terra said. X looked up at him surprised. How trusting was this guy?

"Thanks. I'll try to keep it that way." X replied with a smirk. "Let's keep going, we have an entire castle to search." He said before continuing on, slipping his glove back on his hand.

After clearing the castle of Unversed, the pair found themselves in a chamber in a tall tower. Laying in the bed of that room was a blonde teenage girl fast asleep. If it weren't for her slow steady breathing X would have thought her dead. He still did think she might have been dead.

"This feels familiar." Terra said softly. X looked at him.

"Do I want to know why?" X asked concerned. Terra shot him a dirty look with a small grin.

"Her heart is filled with light; not the slightest touch of darkness. Just the heart I need." A familiar voice said. Terra and X turned to see Maleficent. X blinked in confusion.

"When did you get here?" X asked. X's question went ignored as Terra stepped forward.

"For what?" Terra asked. Maleficent gave an evil smile like the question was amusing and somehow linked to her evil plan.

"Imagine with me the most glorious of futures. Seven of the purest hearts, each overflowing with light. When brought together, they grant the power to rule all worlds." Maleficent explained. Her eyes narrowed at Terra.

"What do you mean?" Terra asked defensively. X tipped his head to the side looking at Maleficent with pity. Looks like she was made into a pawn too. And she was too proud to see it.

"Why that key you hold," Maleficent continued, ignoring Terra's question. "The keyblade, is it called?" She asked mockingly. Terra summoned his keyblade in response.

"Where did you learn that name?" Terra demanded. Once again Maleficent ignored him.

"That trinket is the only way to collect hearts." She said, looking down at Terra. Terra clenched his fist.

"No more games. Where is Master Xehanort?" Terra demanded, at least figuring out that Xehanort must have been the one to tell Maleficent these things. He just wasn't sure if it was of free will or not.

"Impudence will get you nowhere, child," Maleficent said annoyed. "If you wish to learn more you must retrieve Aurora's heart." She ordered. Terra looked appalled by the mere suggestion. X glanced over at the sleeping princess. If she was asleep it couldn't hurt. His purple eyes turned bright yellow for a second. As promised her heart was pure light.

"Why would I do that?" Terra asked. Maleficent scoffed, though her eyes now were on X.

"It's not a matter of why, but of will. In your heart, there is darkness waiting to be awakened." She said. Her hand moved over the jewel on her staff. Terra was covered in a green aura from her movement.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Terra said, fighting her arua.

"Perhaps not yet," Maleficent admitted. "But I have power over sleep. And I can awaken what's inside you. Then you will be free to be who you truly are." She said. Her hand moved over the jewel again. This time Terra leaned forward as if about to fall. He straightened up quickly. His eyes were glassed over like he had lost his sight. X leaned forward curiously, waving his hand in front of Terra's face.

"Impressive," X said leaning back. "Now that you've had your fun." He said turning to the sleeping princess. Maleficent watched him with interest. X calmly reached out and put his hand into the princesses chest. He pulled his hand back, now holding the princess's heart, which looked like an orb of light. He turned to Maleficent and held out the heart. Maleficent smirked before taking it from him. "Consider that a peace treaty, since my Master saw fit to tell you, I'm sure he wanted you to succeed." X said.

"And the boy?" Maleficent asked.

"Let's let him think he did it." X said with a smirk. The witch smirked in agreement. Terra's eyes returned to normal and he shook his head, putting a hand to his temple. X looked at him in false shock.

"To think all he spoke of was and will be true." Maleficent said in wonder. Terra turned to look at her in horror.

"What? How did I-" he began. He realized then, what Maleficent was holding. "What did I do? What did _you_ do?" He demanded. Maleficent laughed.

"You speak as if I pulled some invisible strings. No, you couldn't be further from the truth, child. I simply whispered to the darkness already inside you." She said. She smirked down at him. Terra turned to X, who only continued to stare at him shocked.

"How could I do this?" Terra asked. X tried to supply an answer, opening his mouth as if meaning to speak. But he never found the right words. Mostly due to the fact he was trying to contain his laughter.

"Now, you wanted to know where Xehanort went. Well, that I cannot answer. He disappeared into the darkness. But now I know the keyblade is necessary to gather hearts." Maleficent said. She held her hand out to Terra. "Join me, collect six more hearts of pure light. Then we will rule all the worlds together." She offered. Terra glared at her.

"You seem to be mixed up. I'm a peacekeeper, not a tyrant." He said. He summoned his keyblade as the castle began to shake.

"For a peacekeeper, you're off to an exceptionally poor start. Remember this, the darkness in your heart can't be held back by force or strength." Maleficent warned. "Now, my work here is done. As is yours. Wasn't there someone you needed to chase?" She asked mockingly before vanishing in green flames.

"Wait!" Terra yelled rather pointlessly. X put out a hand to stop him. Terra sighed turning to X. Before he could speak the castle shook again.

"The Unversed are going to bring down the castle. We should go find them." X suggested. Terra nodded before leaving the room. X watched him leave before turning back to the princess. Whatever Unversed it was Terra could handle it on his own.

X looked at the princess in interest. That had been the first heart he had ever taken. It wasn't nearly as dramatic as he had been expecting. There wasn't even any evidence X had taken the heart. Though it did seem the princess might have stopped breathing.

Terra returned about a half hour later. He looked exhausted and didn't even bother to question why X hadn't followed him.

"It's my fault her light was stolen." Terra said, looking down at the princess. X stood beside him calmly.

"I mean, she did kinda posses you. It's no big deal right?" X asked, trying to be helpful.

"How can you say that? I stole her heart." Terra said in disgust. X blinked at him in surprise. He was being really hard on himself.

"It's not like no ones ever done it before." X said with a shrug. Terra shot him a glare that made X back away. He wasn't keen on getting beat with a keyblade today. Those things really did hurt.

"It's like you don't know right from wrong." Terra said in shock and disgust. X looked down at his feet. He nodded slowly, much to Terra's surprise.

"I don't." X admitted.

"What?" Terra asked in disbelief. X looked up at him and took a deep breath.

"I don't know right from wrong anymore. I don't want to do bad things, but half the time I don't know they're wrong. So teach me the difference." He said. Terra looked at him in shock. The shocked look slowly changed to a small smile.

"You really don't know?" Terra asked quietly. X nodded.

"I guess it's because I lost my heart." He said with a shrug. "I just, can't tell the difference." He continued. His went up to brush back his bangs.

"Alright, we'll fix that." Terra said with a firm voice. X looked at him and smiled.

"Thank you." X said. It wouldn't take long for Terra to be caught right in X's web of lies. It looked like he might already be in too deep.


	7. Chapter VI

**Chapter VI; Heart of Light**

Outside of the castle in Enchanted Dominion Terra turned to look at X. X looked up at him calmly, waiting for whatever it was Terra was going to say.

"Can you use that dark corridor thing to follow me?" Terra asked. X shook his head.

"No, I'd have to know where you were going." He replied. Terra looked at X in confusion. He blinked a few times trying to figure out X's method of travel.

"How did you know I was here then?" Terra asked. X nervously rubbed the back of his head. He gave a small grin before replying.

"I kinda, had a smaller Heartless follow you," X explained nervously. Terra blinked in confusion yet again. It was clear he really hadn't been taught anything about the Heartless. But why he hadn't was a mystery to X. Heartless were thought to be the only real threat to the light since the ancient war. Dream Eaters were so rare now, a Nightmare was no threat.

"There are smaller Heartless?" Terra asked. X nodded.

"A lot of them. It's pretty unusual for one to look human like I do." He explained. Terra frowned and nodded. He placed his hand on his chin in thought. Eventually, he looked up at X again.

"Can you go into the lanes between and not be harmed?" Terra asked. X thought about it for a minute before nodding.

"I think I should be able to." X said. Terra nodded and put on his armor and turned his key into the glider.

"Hop on, we'll stick together." Terra said. X looked at him warily before doing as asked. It was rather uncomfortable for the both of them but it would be a time saver. Terra looked at X amazed as they went through the lanes between. The blonde wasn't affected at all by the darkness that supposedly hung close. He looked more relaxed and at ease than Terra had ever seen him. Heartless must have been at home in the dark.

The next world the arrived in they were inside of a castle. The castle was dark and far from welcoming. They found themselves on the lower floors, not far from a woman who looked to be a queen of some kind. She stood in front of an ornate mirror.

"Spirit of the mirror, come from farthest space. Through wind and darkness, I summon thee, speak! Show me thy face." The queen said rather dramatically. X was about to make a comment about how crazy the queen was, after all, she was talking to a mirror, but was stopped when the mirror actually responded.

"What wouldst thou know, my queen?" The mirror asked. X blinked in surprise and looked at Terra. Terra shrugged and returned to watching from around the corner they were hiding behind.

"Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?" The queen asked. X frowned glancing around Terra to see into the room. The queen didn't look that impressive to him, but her vanity was great.

"Famed is thy beauty, majesty, but hold, a lovely maid I see. Alas, she is more fair than thee." The mirror replied in the same neutral voice it had before.

"Alas for her! Reveal her name." The queen demanded.

"Lips as red as the rose, hair black as ebony, skin white as snow." The mirror responded, rather than giving a name. The queen however still knew who the mirror was talking about.

"Snow White!" The queen snapped in anger. X held back a snicker.

"Someone couldn't think of a better name. I thought X was bad." He muttered under his breath so only Terra could hear him. Terra shot X a glare but was smiling a little, as if holding back a laugh.

"A mirror that knows and sees everything," Terra said quietly. "How about that."

"The heart of Snow White doth shine bright. Beware, my queen, a heart of light." The mirror said. Terra frowned looking to X.

"Another one? Wait. What if Master Xehanort is here?" Terra asked. X frowned.

"Then we should probably get looking." X whispered. Before the two could sneak away to begin their search the queen turned towards them.

"Who goes there?" The queen asked in a demanding tone. X rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"She has super hearing too." He muttered. Terra ignored him and went to face the queen. X hung back watching from a distance.

"My name is Terra. I'm looking for a man named Xehanort...Master Xehanort. I thought maybe you might have seen him." Terra said calmly. He was surprisingly calm for having been caught trespassing. X wondered if it was bravery or stupidity.

"That name is of no consequence to me." The queen said. Terra nodded and turned to leave, returning to where X stood. Before he could get far the queen seemed to realize something. She spoke catching Terra's attention. "Wait. I have a task for you. If you succeed I will ask the mirror where you might find this Master Xehanort."

"And the mirror will know?" Terra asked suspiciously. The queen crossed her arms angrily.

"Do you dare to question me?" The queen asked. X glared at her from his hiding place.

"Yes." X muttered too himself. Luckily neither the queen nor Terra heard him. Terra considered the offer for a moment. He looked up at the queen before nodding.

"What is this task?" Terra asked. The queen gave an evil smile to Terra.

"There is a young maid who resides in this castle. Her name is Snow White. Kill her. And to makes sure you do not fail, bring back her heart in this." The queen gave a box that had a dagger as the lock. X blinked in alarm. He hoped Terra wasn't actually considering this.

"Her heart? I don't understand. You're after the hearts of light too?" Terra asked looking at the queen in confusion. The queen turned away.

"What I demand is her life. I've had more than enough of her light." The queen snapped.

"What did this maiden do to you?" Terra asked curiously.

"That is no concern of yours. Now, heed my words. My radiance is all the light this kingdom needs." The queen snapped. Terra didn't look convinced but decided not to question it at the moment.

"Where can I find her?" Terra asked, sounding almost exasperated.

"Outside the castle, there is a glade of wildflowers. You are dismissed. Go seek her there." The queen ordered. Terra nodded and turned away once again. His eyes met with X's but he didn't say anything.

The two got out into the main portion of the castle before actually speaking. Terra was looking at the box with the dagger in it in thought. X frowned watching him. It wasn't like Terra to actually consider something like this. At least not the Terra X had seen.

"I think this is a bad idea," X stated. Terra glanced at him with a small smile. It was like he was glad to see X showing concern.

"I'm not going to hurt her. I'm going to ask her about Master Xehanort." Terra said simply. X blinked in surprise. Terra wasn't as easy to read as he thought.

"Oh, I thought you were actually going to do as the crazy queen asked," X said with a nervous laugh. Terra raised an eyebrow at him.

"Would you?" Terra asked. X shook his head.

"No. I'd probably just make her get the mirror to tell me," X replied. Terra looked at him curiously, setting the box on a fountain as they passed.

"How?" He asked. X smirked.

"Use your imagination." He said. Terra looked at him in disbelief. X shrugged looking away as they continued their way to the glade.

As promised in the glade was a young girl, probably not much younger than Terra. She had short dark hair that could definitely be compared to ebony. X wasn't one to judge the color of her lips, just because that was kind of creepy. Her skin was pretty pale, maybe to the point it could be considered snow-like.

"Think that's her?" X asked. Terra looked at her and shrugged.

"Let's find out," Terra said. He approached her calmly, not speaking. He stopped behind her. He looked like he was about to speak but couldn't find the words. The girl turned and looked at Terra. She jumped a little but didn't seem scared. X slowly drew closer, cautious of the girl.

"Oh, hello. Who are you?" The girl asked cheerfully. X blinked in surprise. Terra also seemed to be surprised. That wasn't the normal reaction.

"Aren't you startled?" Terra asked. The girl tipped her head to the side.

"Should I be?" She asked. Terra looked at her with a smile. X peeked around Terra and looked at her. He allowed his eyes to turn yellow, taking a look at her heart. Just as Aurora's had been it was pure light. Not a trace of darkness. It almost unnerved X.

"Is something the matter?" The girl asked looking at X. X stepped away from her quickly. Terra glanced at X over his shoulder. He turned to the girl again, trying to take her attention off of X.

"Does the name Xehanort mean anything to you?" Terra asked quickly. The girl thought about it for a moment.

"Why...why no. I don't think I've ever heard that name." She said tilting her head to the side. Terra sighed looking to X.

"Now what?" Terra asked. X shrugged looking at the castle. The best bet was to go back to the castle and force the information out of the queen. Before he could suggest that a group of Unversed appeared, surrounding the young girl. "Unversed!" Terra said in shock.

Terra and X summoned their weapons preparing to fight the creatures. The girl screamed in terror before taking off towards the woods.

"Hey, wait! Don't go in there alone!" Terra called after her.

"That's how you get killed!" X called. Terra gave him a dirty look. X looked at Terra with wide eyes. He shook his head in question. Terra shook his head in return, confirming that wasn't ok. Terra turned to go after the girl but was stopped by the Unversed.

"Out of my way." Terra demanded. The Unversed, of course, ignored his request.

Before Terra could begin fighting off the Unversed X shot forward and sent several of the creatures flying back. Terra blinked in surprise. It was the first time he and really seen X fight. Unlike Terra, he was more of a speed type. He moved from target to target so quickly he was almost a blur. What was odd was that X seemed to have a specific tactic for dealing with each Unversed. Some he'd sneak up behind. Others he would go for head-on. It was like he had fought the Unversed for a long time.

Before long all of the Unversed were gone. Terra looked to where the girl had vanished with a frown.

"She's gone." Terra said disappointedly. X nodded.

"Looks like it. What's the plan now?" X asked. Terra sighed and looked at the castle.

"I guess we go back and try the mirror for answers." He decided. X laughed and shook his head.

"Right, good luck." X said. Terra raised an eyebrow at him.

"You're coming too." Terra said. X gave a heavy sigh.

"Ok. If you insist." He said in defeat.

Back in the castle, they returned to where the queen has been. This time X didn't waste his time hiding. The queen turned to face them. Her face was livid as she glared at Terra, completely ignoring X.

"How dare you return here you blundering fool!" The queen yelled. Terra looked at her concerned.

"What are you talking about." Terra asked. The queen glared at him.

"I ordered you to bring me Snow White's heart!" The queen snapped. Terra nodded slowly as if just remembering.

"A request I chose to ignore. You claim to be radiant, but all I see are shadows of jealousy, hanging thick on your heart." Terra said simply. His eyes narrowed at her as if he was trying to see her heart like X could.

"You will pay for such insolence! Magic mirror on the wall, consume this fool, once and for all!" The queen yelled. Terra summoned his keyblade, preparing for a fight.

"Alas my liege, that I cannot do. I have no power save answers true." The mirror said calmly. Terra seemed to relax a little but didn't put away the keyblade.

"You dare defy your queen?" The queen yelled. X looked at her in disbelief.

"It's not defying you, it literally can't do anything," X said exasperatedly. The queen ignored X's complaint. She threw something, a potion of some kind, at the mirror. The mirror glowed brightly. Terra narrowed his eyes at the mirror in confusion.

"What?" Terra asked. Before an answer could be given the mirror flashed and Terra disappeared. X blinked a few times confused.

"It ate Terra," X said in surprised. "I hope that's not permanent."

"Who are you to dare trespass the queen's castle?" The queen asked angrily. She must have just noticed the young blondes existence. X glared at her.

"A creature from the dark. I wouldn't mess with me. Would end up nasty for you." X said calmly. He watched the queen for a moment. He let his eyes turn yellow once more. Her heart was dark, but not in a healthy way. It looked sick and dying. It was oddly small as well, hardly worth noting. "You know, Terra's not wrong. You have one ugly heart. Maybe I should cut it out for you."

"You would not dare." The queen said raising her chin as if looking down on X. X matched her look with a smirk.

"You're right. Can't go making a scene. Gotta behave." X said, venom seeping into his voice. The queen looked at X afraid but didn't speak. The silence lasted for the rest of the time Terra was in the mirror. The mirror shined brightly once again before Terra reappeared.

"How did you escape?" The queen asked. Terra didn't reply, only putting his keyblade away. He looked straight at the queen calmly.

"Now you will ask the mirror. Where can I find Master Xehanort?" Terra asked. The queen glared at him but turned to the mirror angrily.

"Magic mirror, instruct this knave. Give him the answer he doth crave!" The queen ordered. Anger was clear in both her voice and on her face.

"Beyond both light and dark he dwells, where war was waged upon the fells." The mirror said. Terra frowned at it.

"Is that all?" Terra asked. The mirror remained silent. Seeing that was all he was going to get he nodded. "Thanks. You've been a big help." Terra said turning to leave. X followed after him, waving at the queen as he left. The queen glared at him.

"Did that mean anything to you?" Terra asked as he and X walked through the castle corridors. X shrugged.

"Could have. I'm not sure. I'll let you know if I figure it out." X answered. Terra nodded.

"Right," Terra said, walking a little ways ahead. X watched him in interest. It surprised X, Terra didn't know about this. What was Eraqus teaching his students?


	8. Chapter VII

**Chapter VII; Unmasked**

The first world Y found looked to be a rather peaceful world. She arrived on a path that seemed deserted. To one direction was a town surrounding a beautiful castle that was a pale blue color. To the other direction was a forest with what looked like large manors scattered through the distance. She could barely see the rooftops above the trees.

"First place I show, and of course it's empty," Y muttered to herself. She looked up and down the road, trying to decide where to begin her search. She had no idea where any of her friends would be if they were even there. She frowned thinking. The best place to start was looking for the Unversed.

Y turned towards the castle. If she were to find negative emotions it was more than likely going to be in the city, right? Y herself had never found city life all that pleasant. Not nearly enough open air.

Y began her walk towards the castle. She looked around as she walked, looking for anything unusual. Maybe the masked boy, or even just an Unversed. But she saw nothing. It was a bright clear day with no sign of anything evil. That was until she heard the cries for help, at least.

Y ran ahead to see a tall man dressed in fancy looking clothes. He had black hair and a mustache and wore a monocle. He was being attacked by a group of Unversed. Y gave a heavy sigh summoning her keyblade.

"Looks like I was wrong." She said to herself before running towards the man. She fought away the Unversed almost too easily. They didn't run from her when she tried attacking, more stared at her in awe. She noticed some of their movements were like they were afraid. Others moved as if anxious.

Once they were all gone Y turned to the man who had been attacked. He was standing straight, brushing his shoulders off. He looked at Y in interest, not speaking.

"Are you ok?" Y asked. She didn't see any visible harm more than a few scratches, but he could be more mentally harmed than anything.

"I'm quite alright, thank you." The man replied. Y tried to decide if he was lying or not. Seeing nothing that could point to a lie Y nodded, looking over her shoulder for anymore Unversed.

"How long have those monsters been causing a problem?" Y asked curiously turning her attention to the man. He seemed to think about it for a moment.

"Not long. They appeared after a boy in a mask arrived in our kingdom. They obeyed his every order." The man answered. Y blinked in surprise. She thought maybe the boy in the mask had something to do with the Unversed, but she hadn't expected them to obey his every order. She didn't think they were under his command. But why follow him?

"Really. Well, you should be careful, those monsters could attack you at any moment." Y said with a smile.

"While that is true I'm afraid I must keep moving. There is to be a royal ball tonight and I must deliver the invitation to the house of Lady Tremaine." The man said. Y frowned looking at him in thought.

"Why don't you give me the invitation. I'll be sure it gets there." Y offered. This man couldn't defend himself, she most certainly did not want him going off on his own. The man seemed to consider this offer carefully, Y could practically see his mind working to decide if she could be trusted.

"Very well." The man decided. He handed Y a white envelope sealed with red wax. It definitely looked like something from royalty. Y took it and glanced it over, there was no writing on it. "Lady Tremaine lives in the first manor you will come across in the woods. The monsters are rather plentiful there, so be on your guard." The man warned.

"Thanks for the warning." Y said. She looked up at the man with a cheerful smile. "I'll be sure this gets delivered for you." She said.

"You are doing the king a great favor young lady." The man said. Y couldn't decide what that meant, whether it was a compliment or a statement. Royalty always confused her like that.

"Right." Y agreed. "Well, I'll be off now." She said. The man nodded and turned back towards the city. Y turned away from him back towards the way she had come.

Going through the woods Y was surprised to find it mostly empty. The road was clear of any Unversed. It was almost as if they all had vanished from sight. That was until she drew closer to the manor of Lady Tremaine. Suddenly there were Unversed everywhere. The dark purple monsters that had glowing red eyes. The green ones that looked like they were shaking in fear. Large ones that had a tendency to explode. Flying ones that cured the other Unversed. Every kind of Unversed Y thought could possibly exist. Something in that manor must have been attracting them.

When Y finally fought her way to the front door she took a moment to breathe. She glanced over her shoulder at the yard. It showed no signs of the fight she had to put up to get to the front door. Nothing to show the Unversed had even existed. It was almost like nothing had happened. What a sad and lonely way to die. Bound to be forgotten, like you hadn't even existed. Y suddenly found herself pitying the Unversed.

Y shook her head returning her attention back to the task at hand. She looked up at the door and calmly knocked. She glanced around once again while waiting. She wasn't sure what she should be expecting really. With the amount of Unversed hanging around she got the feeling the people of this household weren't pleasant. Something had to bring the Unversed here, and since they fed on negativity what else could bring them here?

Y's thoughts were interrupted by the door being opened. Y was greeted by the exact opposite of what she had been expecting. It was a young blonde girl, perhaps a few years older than Y. From what she was wearing Y suspected her to be the maid.

"Hello." The girl greeted brightly. Y blinked in surprise. She could feel it. This girl was radiating light. She must have been one of the princesses Master Eraqus had mentioned.

"Uh, hi." Y said after a moment. She held out the invitation she had been asked to deliver. "I was asked to bring this to the house of Lady Tremaine, which I assume this is." The young blonde took it from Y, looking at the envelope in interest.

"Why, what is it?" The girl asked curiously.

"An invitation to a royal ball," Y answered. The girl looked up at Y with a radiant smile. Y found herself looking away with a soft smile. It was as if the girl's emotions were affecting Y's. Like her happiness was contagious.

"Thank you, I'll be sure my stepmother sees it." The blonde said with a bow of her head. She closed the door leaving Y standing there in confusion. She wasn't just a maid? Then why on earth was she dressed like one? Shouldn't she look like nobility?

Y shook her head and sighed, leaving the porch step. She had done her task, no need to hang around. She glanced over her shoulder at the house one last time before returning the way she had come, heading to the city.

Y only made it to a place about halfway to where she had met the man. It was an open clearing surrounded by dark trees. The road for some reason extended to cover the entire clearing, making no grass grow. Y assumed it was a place for turning carriages around. She did a quick glance around and froze seeing something she had definitely not expected.

Standing leaning against a tree on the edge of the clearing was the masked boy. Y couldn't see where his gaze was looking, but she felt it was probably focused on her. The thought of his gaze on her made her nervous. It was like he was deciding if she was useful or if he could just kill her.

"Looks like you took the smart route." The masked boy said simply. Y glared and stepped back a little. She clenched her fist, trying to decide if she should draw her keyblade or run away before a fight could start.

"You again, what do you want?" Y demanded. The masked boy laughed, stepping away from the tree. He paced back and forth in front of her as if sizing her up. He stopped directly in front of her a few steps back.

"That's not your concern." The masked boy said. He tilted his head to the side watching her. "The others are convinced you're already strong enough. I'm not." He stated. Y narrowed her eyes at him.

"What are you going on about?" Y asked defensively. She took a step back again. She didn't like being this close to him. Something was familiar about him. Something she knew a little too well. But she couldn't place it.

"Let's put that light of yours to the test." The masked boy stated, summoning a keyblade that was black and red. He raised it, calmly facing her. Y took yet another step back.

"Where did you get that?" Y demanded. The masked boy didn't speak, he was waiting for Y to draw her own keyblade. "Fine." Y said, summoning her keyblade.

The masked boy was the first to move. He darted straight towards Y in a blur, she hardly saw him move. Before she could react he was right in front of her. He hit her with his key sending her flying backward. Y managed to find her footing quickly after the hit. She quickly looked around the area scanning the landscape for anything she could use to her advantage.

Unfortunately, there was nothing. The masked boy must have planned for this knowing what type of fighter Y was. She would use anything in the area to her advantage. The only thing here was dirt, which would be of no use so long as the boy wore his mask. Y narrowed her eyes making the decision. She'd just have to get rid of the mask.

As the boy approached her to attack again she brought up her keyblade to block his. She ducked down under his key and kicked his legs out from underneath him. He fell back but twisted in mid-air so he landed on his hands and flipped away from Y. Before he could attack again Y dug her keyblade into the ground and brought several rocks to the surface. She tossed them all up with her foot and hit them with her key directly at the masked boy.

The masked boy didn't seem to realize what Y had done until the first rock came in contact with his mask. The mask cracked slightly in several different places from the rocks. The boy made a sound that Y assumed meant he wasn't impressed.

He shot forward once again, quickly disappearing from Y's sight line. Y quickly moved from her position trying to find where the masked boy had vanished to. Seeing him nowhere she glanced up, just as he appeared above her. Y jumped up and brought her keyblade down over his back, throwing him to the ground.

The boy stood again with a laugh. Y repeated the action she had done earlier sending more rocks at his mask. As the rocks hit his mask it chipped out, letting her see just a bit of his skin in about three different places. Before the masked boy could move again Y shot forward and swung her key in a complex pattern. The masked boy allowed himself to be hit a few times before countering and hitting Y with his own string of attacks.

Y jumped back and quickly directed her keyblade at the boy.

"Light." She said. As she spoke a beam of light shot towards him, hitting him in the chest. It sent the boy flying back into a tree. Y once again dug up a few rocks and threw them at the boy. This time his mask shattered, falling off his face.

Y was surprised that the boy looked fairly normal. He had raven black hair that spiked wildly. His eyes that were fixed on her in a cold glare were a yellow gold color. Oddly similar to Master Xehanort's. He tilted his head to the side studying her in interest. Before Y could move towards him he vanished in a blur. Y felt a sharp pain her back that sent her to the ground.

Y rolled over onto her back to see the masked boy standing over her ready to bring his keyblade down on her. Before he could Y grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it into his eyes. He closed his eyes on instinct and stepped back, a hand going to his eyes. Y quickly stood and hit him in the stomach.

"Maybe they are right." The masked boy said while staggering back. He was nearly doubled over, using his keyblade as support. He was facing Y with a glare, his eyes were slightly red from the dirt.

"What are you planning? Who are you talking about?" Y demanded. She held her keyblade at the ready, prepared to face the boy if he decided to attack. But it looked like he had seen what he had wanted.

"Salvation." The no longer masked boy said. Y frowned.

"What?" She asked. The boy stood up as if all of his injuries had healed already. He looked straight at Y, making her shiver from his gaze. He banished his keyblade turning his back on Y.

"We're going to save the miserable worlds. Save them from drowning in their light." The ravenette boy said simply. His voice sounded strong like he knew everything. Y doubted that, but he was obviously convinced. Convinced the light would destroy the worlds.

"Ok, so you're crazy." Y said. The boy gave a short laugh, glancing over his shoulder at her.

"Don't lose your light, until it's time that is." He said. Suddenly he was engulfed in a portal of smoke, like the one he had disappeared through when she had first seen him. Y blinked in surprise. She bit her lip in thought, things were far worse than she had imagined.

"This isn't looking good." Y said to herself. She looked up to the sky, thinking of her friends. "I hope you guys are ok."


	9. Chapter VIII

**Chapter VIII; Dreams Don't Come True**

In the next world Terra and X arrived in it was nearing nightfall. The sky was dark with stars beginning to blink into existence. X looked to the sky taking note, the first stars to appear were always either the closest world or the world with the brightest heart. He found himself thinking of the old story Y used to tell him. Second star to the right and straight on until morning.

X turned his attention back to the world. Terra was a few feet in front of him, slowly approaching a crying blonde girl. The girl had her back turned and was resting her head on a bench.

"Is something wrong?" Terra asked softly. Rather than jumping and screaming something about stranger danger the girl continued to cry and actually answered.

"It's just that my friends made me the most beautiful dress-but my stepmother and stepsisters ruined it. And I was so looking forward to the ball." The blonde girl cried. X frowned watching her. She made him uneasy, like the princesses of heart did.

"Darkness always finds a way into a wounded heart. You have to be strong. Strength of heart will carry you through the hardest of trials." Terra said encouragingly. He looked to X to see if he had anything to add. X only shook his head.

"But I..." The girl began. She was interrupted by the appearance of Unversed. X and Terra both quickly drew their weapons.

"Unversed!" Terra exclaimed.

Without wasting another second the pair attacked the Unversed. X kept an eye on the girl while fighting, but the entire time she continued to cry like nothing was happening. It almost amused X as he took out the Unversed, muttering a sorry under his breath as each one died. He began allowing the Unversed closer and closer to the girl before he killed them. Each time the girl still failed to notice what was happening around her.

After the last Unversed was killed, Terra and X returned their attention to the girl. X frowned, as his eyes turned yellow. The girl's heart was a bright light like the other princesses. That for some reason didn't surprise X.

"I can't believe...not anymore..." The girl said through her sobs, further confirming the fact she hadn't realized what had happened. A mist began to gather in the air, rather suddenly.

"Strength of heart is important. But that's not all you need." A voice said. X looked around but saw no one. He turned his attention back to the girl with a frown.

"There's nothing left to believe in...nothing." The blonde girl said. X frowned, she seemed a little dramatic. The mist began to gather in front of the girl.

"Nothing, my dear? Oh, now, you don't really mean that." The voice said. The mist continued to consolidate until there was a woman wearing a blueish grey robe. Her hair was white giving the impression of great age.

"Oh, but I do. It's just no use." The girl said. Her head was now resting in the woman's lap.

"Nonsense! If you'd lost all your faith, I couldn't be here, and here I am." The woman said. The blonde girl looked up at the old woman. She didn't look alarmed by the woman's sudden appearance. "Oh, come now, dry those tears. You can't go to the ball looking like that."

"The ball? Oh, but I'm not-" the blonde girl began. She stood up and stepped back from the woman. The woman stood as well and cut the girl off.

"Of course you are. But we'll have to hurry. Now, what were those magic words again?" The woman said. She thought only a minute before recalling the supposed magic words. "Oh yes... Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo." She said with a wave of her wand.

Sparks flew off the wand X had only just noticed. By some strange occurrence, a pumpkin from the garden rolled over to them and turned into a horse-drawn carriage. The blonde girls torn and tattered dress turned into a beautiful gown that was a similar color to the old woman's robe.

"Oh...it's a beautiful dress. Why...it's a dream come true!" The girl exclaimed.

"Yes, but like all dreams, I'm afraid this can't last forever. You'll have only until midnight, and then, on the stroke of twelve, the spell with be broken, and everything will be as it was before." The woman explained. The girl nodded.

"Yes, I understand." The girl said. She gave the woman a hug before climbing into the carriage and riding off.

"Her heart was full of light. Why didn't I see it? What did you do? I can hardly tell she's the same person." Terra said, looking at the old woman. X looked that way with a bored expression. They had wasted a lot of time just watching that happen.

"Who are you?" The woman asked curiously. X rolled his eyes, it seemed a little late to be asking that question.

"Terra. This is X." Terra replied, motioning X as he introduced him.

"Terra, X, in your heart, do you believe that dreams can come true?" The woman asked. She had a soft smile that X didn't appreciate. It looked like she was pitying them.

"I do. But I also believe you have to make an effort to make them come true." Terra replied. X shook his head.

"I don't," X muttered. It seemed to go unheard by the other two, which X found fortunate. He would hate to have to explain himself.

"Yes, of course. But sometimes just believing in dreams is easier said than done. Cinderella believes her dreams can come true. I wanted her to see that she is right." The woman said in reply to Terra.

"So that's what made her shine-faith in her heart that anything is possible," Terra said. X failed to see where he had drawn that conclusion from. "Where did she go?" Terra asked.

"To the royal ball at the palace. Go. And when you see her dancing you'll know that she believes, and that will help you believe, too." The woman answered. Terra nodded and motioned to X. X sighed before joining Terra as they walked towards the palace following the path the carriage had taken.

"What was that you muttered? When the woman asked us about dreams." Terra asked after walking for a while. X muttered a few curses before giving a heavy sigh.

"I said I don't." He said. Terra looked at him in surprise.

"Why not?" Terra asked.

"One, I don't have a heart," X explained putting up his pinky finger. "Two, dreams don't come true. They fall apart and crumble into little tiny pieces." He continued putting up his ring finger. Terra frowned at him.

"What makes you say that?" Terra asked.

"Experience," X stated calmly.

"Well, what's your dream?" Terra asked. X rolled his eyes looking away. It was annoying the way Terra was pressing for this information. Not everyone believed everything. It wasn't something worth making a large fuss about.

"Don't have one. Never really did." X replied hoping that would be enough to stop Terra's questions. He was wrong about that.

"How can you not have a dream? That seems a little..." Terra began but trailed off, looking for the right word.

"What? Sad?" X asked. "Yeah, I guess. But there was never anything I wanted, I had everything. Well, I used to anyway." He continued.

"So what do you want now?" Terra asked. X frowned thinking of an answer that would satisfy Terra. Something good he supposed.

"I guess if I had to choose anything. I'd like to get my heart back. Be able to feel everything I used to. Be with my sister again." X answered. For the most part, it was true. But he wasn't sure to what extent. Terra smiled at him but didn't speak. It seemed he had finally decided he knew enough.

When Terra and X reached the palace, X wasn't all that surprised to see a group of Unversed attacking Cinderella as he remembered the old woman dubbed the blonde. Sure the Unversed were first attracted by negativity, but the moment they found a light they sought to drag it into the darkness.

"Not here too." Terra stated summoning his keyblade.

"Why not?" X asked sarcastically, drawing his own daggers. He didn't give Terra time to reply before darting forward to attack the Unversed.

The group was rather small and was taken out quickly between the two of them. In the end, Terra stood a few feet in front of Cinderella, his keyblade still at the ready. X was behind Cinderella, his daggers already gone.

"I've met you before," Cinderella said softly, looking at Terra with recognition.

"I'll take care of them. You wait here. X will watch you." Terra said in reply. X looked at him with a frown.

"I will?" X asked. Terra shot him a glare that X only shrugged in reply to with a crooked grin.

"Please, may I go with you? I so want to get to the ball." Cinderella asked. Terra thought about it a moment before nodding slowly.

"All right. But stay behind me, or you'll get hurt." He decided. He looked over his shoulder at her waiting for her reply. To his surprise, she only smiled. "You aren't worried?" He asked.

"Didn't you tell me it was important to stay strong?" Cinderella asked in response. Terra looked forward with a soft smile.

"Oh, um...I guess I did." Terra agreed. X rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"How did she even know that? It's not like she was listening." X muttered to himself. Luckily this time no one heard him at all.

"So...you ready?" Terra asked. Cinderella nodded.

"Yes." She said.

The group entered the long hallway at the front of the palace. Almost immediately they were attacked by Unversed. Terra took out the Unversed farther ahead while X stayed closer to Cinderella, much to his own objection. He hated being near this girl, she made his skin crawl. Her light was just too bright for his shadow.

They managed to reach the doors to the ballroom without Cinderella getting harmed. She turned to them both with a big smile. X looked away from her with a frown.

"Oh thank you, um.." Cinderella began but trailed off realizing she didn't know the boys' names.

"Terra." Terra supplied. Cinderella turned to look at X. X tried to shrink back from her. "His name is X. He doesn't talk much." Terra said for X.

"Thank you, Terra, X." Cinderella said. Terra smiled and lightly bowed to her. She smiled brightly once again before entering the ballroom. She wasn't in the room for very long until she caught the eye of the prince.

"Maybe just believing is enough," Terra said as he watched Cinderella dance with the prince.

"Maybe," X said softly.

The two stood quietly for a moment before preparing to leave. Before they could, however, they caught sight of Unversed up on a balcony.

"Unversed!" Terra exclaimed. He turned to find someone from the palace. He found an official looking man and rushed over to him. "Tell us how to get up there," Terra demanded.

"Well, there is a passage under the foyer staircase." The man said confused.

"Thanks," Terra said before running to the foyer. X followed him with a sigh.

They reached the balcony to find it empty of Unversed. Terra frowned looking around. He jumped back as a giant Unversed appeared. It looked like a music director, complete with other Unversed that looked like instruments. The Unversed attacked Terra with its instruments. Terra barely managed to avoid it, jumping away to the ballroom floor. X heard the man they had spoken to desperately cry out for guards. Terra reassured him that they could handle it before yelling to gain the Unversed's attention.

X jumped down from the balcony to the floor with Terra.

"You handle the main body, I'll get its little helpers." X said. Terra nodded in agreement. X quickly launched himself for the nearest instrument while Terra went for the director. It wasn't a hard fight, which was no surprise. X was a little too used to fighting the Unversed. Terra also seemed to be well adapted to fighting the Unversed, though it was a little more difficult as it was off the ground and Terra wasn't the best jumper.

The Unversed was quickly defeated, vanishing into nothing. Terra was approached by the man who had given them directions. X stayed off to the side watching.

"Thank you. You saved us all. The guests were just starting to enjoy themselves." The man said wistfully. X supposed most of the small number of guest must have fled the palace.

"Well don't give up just yet," Terra said nodding towards where the prince and Cinderella still stood. "Tell me something. Have you always had a problem around here with those monsters?" Terra asked.

"No. I believe...they began to appear shortly after a boy in a mask arrived in our kingdom. Those that saw him said the monsters obeyed his every command." The man replied. "A young girl asked the same question only earlier today." He added.

"A girl? What did she look like?" Terra asked. X smirked to himself. If it was anyone but his sister he would be surprised. Vanitas had done his job, she should be out in the worlds too.

"She was a foreigner like yourself I presume. She had blonde hair, almost like the boy with you." The man explained. Terra frowned looking over at X. X shrugged and mouthed 'Y'. Terra's eyes widened in understanding before turning to the man again.

"And this boy in a mask? Do you know where he is now?" Terra asked. He seemed to be fighting to keep his calm. He was probably now worried about Y.

"Well...no, I don't believe anyone has seen him since then." The man answered.

"I see," Terra said. Just then the clock tolled midnight. Cinderella took off without a warning. X watched her run out with the man Terra had been speaking to chasing after her. X glanced at Terra with a shrug. Terra shrugged in response before following them out of the palace, just to see what was going on.

X followed shortly after. As the two reached the top of the stairs, they recognized a woman with blue hair watching the events in confusion.

"Aqua!" Terra called. Aqua turned to face him.

"Terra!" Aqua said in shock. Terra descended the stairs to speak with her. X stayed near the top of the stairs, Aqua set him on edge. "Terra, Ven ran away from home," Aqua said.

"What?" Terra asked shocked. It was surprising X supposed, learning two of your friends had run away the same day.

"I think he left to find you. Do you have any idea why?" Aqua asked. Terra shook his head, his eyebrows furrowing together.

"No," Terra said. He looked up at Aqua in realization. "Actually, just before I left he tried to tell me something. I should have listened to what he had to say. And from the sounds of it, Y ran away too."

"What?" Aqua asked in confusion.

"A man told me a young blonde foreigner was here, looked something like X," Terra said. Aqua looked down at the ground in worry.

"Oh no." She said softly. "Did you manage to locate Master Xehanort?" She asked looking up at Terra hopefully. She wanted some good news.

"No, but it seems he's looking for pure hearts filled with light," Terra answered.

"Pure hearts...filled with light," Aqua repeated in question. Terra nodded.

"All I can tell you is that his search hasn't taken him here," Terra said.

"All right. I'll stay and see if I can find more clues." Aqua said.

"Okay." Terra agreed. "The prince is in the ballroom ahead. He might have some answers." Terra suggested, walking past Aqua. X choose then to descend the stairs a little more, to the point he was closer to the bottom than Terra. Aqua watched him carefully as he passed her.

"Thanks," Aqua said.

"Aqua. You still have the same dream?" Terra asked turning back to face Aqua. She turned to face him with a quizzical look.

"Well...yes," Aqua said.

"There's this girl here- her name is Cinderella. She made me realize how powerful it is just to believe. No matter how impossible things seem...a powerful enough dream will always be enough to light the darkness." Terra said with a smile. Aqua smiled softly and nodded in reply. "If you see her, give her my thanks." Terra requested.

"Will do." Aqua agreed. Terra turned away and continued his way down the stairs. X followed after him, trying to ignore the feeling that Aqua was watching him.

"This boy in the mask, do you know anything about him?" Terra asked after they were a decent way away. X hesitated before answering. He didn't want to make it seem like it was an easy topic. He had to pretend he hardly knew anything.

"Yeah." X finally said quietly.

"Do you think he has something to do with Master Xehanort's disappearance?" Terra asked. He was watching X with concern. He was beginning to be able to tell when X didn't want to talk about something.

"He, he could, I guess." X admitted.

"You don't know?" Terra asked.

"Master Xehanort didn't talk much about it. I, I didn't ask." X explained. He looked away from Terra, holding back a smirk. Terra seemed to think about this information before speaking again.

"Master Eraqus said he first received word of these events from Master Yen Sid. Maybe it's time we went and spoke with him." Terra suggested. X nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, sure." He said.


	10. Chapter IX

**Chapter IX; Caught**

Y wasn't surprised when the next world she entered was just as empty as the first. The castle courtyard she had arrived in seemed too empty. Too quiet. Like all the life and joy had been drained out of it. It was dull and boring, just another place.

Y had always thought other worlds would be exciting. New things every turn and life everywhere. But it was turning out to be awfully dull. Almost the same story in every world. Something went wrong and the inhabitants just waited for things to fix themselves. They hardly ever seemed to try. Where was the fun in that story? Where were the heroes who fought for what was right? Where were the rebels fighting against the corrupt kingdom? Why did it seem that everyone was just waiting for their prince to rescue them?

Y gave a heavy sigh as she began to make her way through the courtyard. She stopped by a well and looked down into it. She couldn't see the bottom. But that didn't surprise her. She sat down on the well and kicked her feet back and forth, thinking of where to go next. She should investigate the world, that was for sure but she had no idea where to go.

"Excuse me miss, but do you know where the princess has gone?" A male voice asked. Y looked up to see a young man with brown hair. Y shook her head.

"I'm afraid I don't. I only just arrived, I don't know where anything is." Y replied. She smiled sweetly at the man before standing up. "I can go check around the castle for you if you'd like." She offered.

"Thank you, that's very kind of you." The man said.

"It's nothing. Don't go too far, I'll be back as soon as I can." Y said before going to search the castle.

The castle was pretty much empty from what Y could see. There were no people, no royalty in the throne room, no servants in the kitchen, no random visitors in the corridor. There weren't even any Unversed.

It was odd, but what Y found strangest was a room in the basement level of the castle. It was dark with only a mirror hung on the wall. Y stood back, staring at the mirror from across the room. It set her on edge, making the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She quickly turned away and went to return to the courtyard. She couldn't find the princess, and she should probably inform the prince.

"Just a creepy mirror. It's fine, everything's fine." Y muttered to herself. It didn't work as she had hoped. She still couldn't shake the feeling the mirror had given her.

Y was still distracted by the feeling from the mirror when she reached the courtyard. So distracted she found herself nearly colliding with a familiar face that wasn't the prince. She barely managed to stop herself before she plowed into Aqua. She jumped back before that happened though, careful not to make a sound. Aqua still had her back turned.

Aqua went to turn around as if feeling Y's presence. Y held in a squeak and ducked around, keeping herself behind Aqua. Aqua frowned before turning again. Y fought to stay behind her and repeated her action again.

This repeated for several times until Aqua managed to turn too quickly for Y to keep up with. Y made a sound that sounded very much like a squeak in her surprise. Aqua blinked in surprise seeing the younger blonde keyblade wielder.

"Y! What are you doing here?" Aqua demanded after recovering from her very brief shock. Y looked from side to side for an escape. Seeing none she turned back to Aqua putting her hands up in defense.

"Uh, I can explain." Y said, trying to look as innocent as she could. Aqua frowned at her, drawing closer to the young blonde.

"You had us worried," Aqua said, her voice filled with disappointment. Y frowned and raised an eyebrow. It probably wasn't the time for her to be sarcastic or be pointing out details, but she was confused.

"But I left after all of you. Only master Eraqus should know I'm missing." Y said. Aqua let out an exasperated sigh, confirming Y's assumption that it was not the right time.

"Someone in the world I was in prior saw you and told Terra. He told me he thought you might have left home." Aqua explained. Worry was clear in her voice. It almost made Y feel guilty.

"I swear I have a good reason." Y insisted. Aqua frowned at her, putting a hand on her hip. Y fought her urge to cower back from the motherly glare.

"That doesn't matter Y, you need to go home," Aqua said. Y clenched her fist in anger. How could she say that? Y knew more about what was happening, she had a right to leave just as much as Aqua. Sure she hadn't trained as long but she was just as good.

"No, you guys are in danger." Y said stubbornly. Aqua looked at her confused. Y smirked proudly. Aqua really didn't know.

"What?" Aqua asked.

"I don't know exactly what, but something bad is going to happen, you have to believe me." Y insisted. Aqua stepped closer to Y, gently placing a hand on the younger girls shoulder. Y met Aqua's gaze with a soft frown.

"Did something happen?" Aqua asked. Her eyes searched Y's for an answer. Y looked away from Aqua.

"A boy in a mask told me you all were going to die. And the master said, he said he feared for all of you. I couldn't just sit at home and do nothing." Y said looking at the ground. Aqua looked at her in surprise. She stepped back, removing her hand from Y's shoulder. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes in thought. She seemed to decide on something with a heavy sigh, uncrossing her arms.

"Y, I can't let you go off on your own," Aqua said simply.

"Then let me stay with you, please!" Y begged. Aqua gave another sigh, keeping her gaze level.

"Y," Aqua began. Y knew that meant unless she did something diaristic, she was getting sent back home. Then she'd have to face the master, and that wouldn't be any fun. Y quickly reacted, pouting at Aqua and making her doe eyes as wide and pleading as she possibly could. Aqua's eyes widened in surprise. She was silent until finally looking away. "Only until I get the chance to take you home," Aqua said.

"Deal!" Y agreed quickly, jumping up happily. Aqua laughed and shook her head at Y's reaction.

"Come on, let's check out this castle." Aqua said.

"I already did." Y said simply. She quickly recalled the room that the mirror was in. She should probably take Aqua to that room. "There's this really weird room I think you should see." Y said.

"What do you mean?" Aqua asked. Y frowned trying to think of a way to explain it to Aqua. She couldn't find one that she was satisfied with.

"Come on, I'll show you." Y said, grabbing Aqua's hand and pulling her along.

Though Y had been through the castle before it took her quite a while to find the mirror room again. This time several Unversed appeared, almost out of nowhere. It was easy enough to get rid of them between the two of them. But Y couldn't help but wonder why they never seemed to attack her when she was on her own. Had she scared the masked boy that much their last meeting?

The mirror room was just as Y remembered it. Dark and creepy. She hid behind Aqua upon entering. Aqua seemed to be uncomfortable too, unsure of what to make of the room.

"See," Y whispered.

"Something's not right," Aqua said. She looked around, her gaze eventually landing on the mirror at the far wall. There were carvings in the stone around it that Y was just noticing. They looked familiar but Y couldn't place what they were.

"I thought so too, but I can't figure it out." Y agreed.

Aqua approached the mirror, looking at it in confusion. Y hung back, watching with bated breath. As Aqua drew closer to the mirror lightning flashed within the mirror. Aqua stepped back in surprise. Flames followed the lightning and a face that looked like an old theatrical mask. Aqua jumped back away from the mirror, landing just in front of Y.

"What?" Aqua asked in confusion. The mirror suddenly glowed, making Aqua and Y cover their eyes. When the light faded, the two found themselves in a dark area that definitely wasn't the room.

"I think the mirror just ate us." Y said. As if to confirm her guess the mask-like face flew past the two of them. Aqua and Y both drew their keyblades.

Y quickly shot forward, hitting the face. Aqua hung back shooting magic around where Y was attacking. They were so used to fighting together, Y didn't have to worry about being accidentally hit by Aqua's magic. They just knew, how the other would move.

Suddenly the mask sunk into the ground. Y jumped back to stand beside Aqua. The mask reappeared but seemed to have multiplied. There was an entire endless row. Y and Aqua began to run down the row, looking back and forth between the mask. They all looked the same. Open mouthed, shooting the occasional fireball. One was smiling but that was hardly important.

Y skidded to a stop and turned back to the smiling one.

 _One of these things is not like the others_. Y thought sarcastically. She ran towards the one different mask and hit it. It spun back and all the other ones sunk back into the ground. Aqua quickly joined Y in attacking the mask, hoping to stop it before the crazy tunnel thing could be repeated.

Luckily the mask didn't get a chance to repeat it's last act. Y and Aqua together managed to defeat the mask. As they defeated it, the entire area grew bright once again. When the light disappeared the two were back in the room the mirror was in.

"The Queen is gone, my service done. Adieu, oh victorious ones." The mirror said before the face vanished from the mirror. Aqua and Y stood silently for a moment.

"That was weird." Y stated after a pause. Aqua nodded in agreement.

"Let's get out of here," Aqua said. Y nodded, turning to leave the room with Aqua.

Aqua led the way to a cottage. There was a group of dwarves and the prince gathered around a pretty girl with short dark hair on a pedestal. She looked either dead or sleeping really deeply. Aqua and Y stood back away from the group silently.

The prince stepped forward and gently kissed the princess. Y wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Does that count as necrophilia?" Y asked. Aqua shoved her playfully, which Y took as a she shouldn't be asking those questions. Suddenly, Y noticed the princess blink a few times.

"Princess!" Aqua said in shock. The dwarves and the prince turned their attention back to the princess. The prince picked her up and spun her around while the dwarves danced happily.

"That's so sweet. It's just like a miracle." Aqua said. Y nodded slowly in thought. She really wasn't sure what Aqua was thinking of. But this almost reminded Y of the stories she was told of Ven waking up from his comma. Of course, no one had kissed him, but he had woken up rather suddenly. A miracle if miracles did happen.

The princess and prince departed shortly after. Y watched in silence standing beside Aqua.

"Come on Y, we should go on to the next world," Aqua said. Y nodded, not really thinking. "Are you ok?" Aqua asked.

"Do you think we'll get a happy ending too?" Y asked.

"Of course," Aqua said. Y nodded slowly, still wondering. Was waiting all they could really do?


	11. Chapter X

**Chapter X; Changes in the Dark**

Y wasn't at all comfortable in the next world she and Aqua had found. They appeared in a mountain path that was barren of all life. Spires of rock rose up on either side of the path periodically. The path was inclining up towards a dark castle that added to the ominous setting. The sky was overcast with clouds. Mountains surrounded the area behind them, with only one way through.

Y looked to Aqua, about to speak but stopped when she saw an orb of light exit the dark castle and fly past them. Y watched it in awe. It was almost like a mini sun that was just floating through the sky, radiating light off of it. It felt warm, but Y wasn't sure how she knew that. It never got close enough for her to feel.

"What's that?" Aqua asked, her breath catching a little. Y smiled and shrugged, watching the light fly through the mountains to a place she couldn't see.

"I don't know." She whispered in awe. Aqua looked to her then back up to the castle.

"I think we had better go take a look inside," Aqua said. Y looked up at the castle with a frown. She wasn't eager to go into the very possibly creepy castle, but she wasn't seeing much choice. There had to be some explanation for the little ball of light. And the answer was probably in the castle.

Y let out a sigh before nodding in agreement.

Inside the castle, Aqua and Y wandered the halls. They had no clue where anything was. Or anyone. Despite occasional Unversed attacks, there was no one in the castle. It unnerved Y, making the castle seem creepier to her than it already was. The empty halls echoed with their footsteps like they were being followed.

"There's no way Terra would hurt somebody like that!" Y came to a sudden halt hearing that. It was Ven, she knew his voice anywhere. Y looked around frantically. What was Ven talking about? What was Terra being accused of? Terra was ok, wasn't he?

Y spotted Ven after a moment of searching. He stood on the floor of some chamber looking up at a woman in black with horns. She held a staff of some kind while she paced back and forth above him.

"You don't believe me? That's unfortunate, for he agreed so easily." The woman said. Y glared at her. She didn't know what was going on, but this woman was accusing Terra of something evil. And Y couldn't stand for that.

"He did?" Ven asked softly, looking down. Y felt her anger grow. Why was Ven believing this woman? Y darted forward without thinking.

"Ven!" Y yelled. Aqua followed Y quickly.

"Don't be fooled!" Aqua insisted. The stopped beside Ven, Aqua looking to Ven while Y glared at the woman.

"Aqua! Y!" Ven said in surprise. Y couldn't decide if he was happy or not. Maybe he was worried he was going to get dragged back home. Which was probably Aqua's intention.

"Terra would never do that. You know that as well as I do." Aqua said. Y was confused as to how Aqua had any clue what Terra was being accused of. Maybe it was something he was guilty of and Aqua just didn't know that's what he was being accused of. Y decided not to question it and nodded her head in support.

"Yeah!" Ven agreed. The woman laughed.

"Ahhh... the truth can be most cruel, even amongst the closest of friends. After all, one never knows the secrets of another's heart. I'm sure you'll agree...Ventus...Aqua...Y." The woman said each of their names with a certain amount of malice. It sent chills through Y's body as if the woman knew more about each of them. Aqua sighed and turned to Ven.

"The master sent me. Ven...lets go home." Aqua said. Y looked at her in disbelief. Now was not really the best time for this.

"Aqua!" Y objected. Aqua gave Y a pointed look to silence her. Y looked down and backed away a little.

"But Terra..." Ven said softly. Aqua put a hand on his shoulder gently.

"Terra's not ready to leave yet," Aqua said. Ven considered her words for a moment. He looked down at the ground with a frown. Y was almost afraid he was actually considering Aqua's words. That he might go home. Y noticed his fist clench.

"Sorry Aqua. But I can't go with you." Ven stated, pulling away from Aqua.

"What?" Aqua asked. Ven backed away a little.

"It's just, I have to find him before it's too late!" Ven insisted before taking off. Y turned to watch him pass her.

"Ven!" Aqua and Y called out in unison. Y tried to follow him, she heard Aqua move the same way. But Y stopped when she heard the woman talk again.

"I see you, too, wield a keyblade." The woman said. Y and Aqua shot a glare at her. This woman was really grating on Y.

"How do you know about the keyblade?" Aqua demanded.

"A source of power." The woman continued on, ignoring Aqua's question. She paced back and forth above them. "A key that opens the hearts of men, of entire worlds... And one to obtain anything and everything. Such power I find most fascinating." Aqua looked down in worry.

"So, Terra, he really," She began.

"Of course not." Y said stubbornly. But it occurred to her they still didn't know what Terra had been accused of. Maybe he had done it.

"Yes. Now, my dear, would you like to assist me as well?" The woman asked, furthering Aqua's doubt. Y could see it in her eyes, the way she cast them down.

"Never," Aqua stated, looking up at the woman with a glare.

"I see, Xehanort was right. You are a most stubborn girl." The woman said. Y gasped. Master Xehanort had told this woman something. Y had been wary of her brothers master from the start, now it seemed there might be a reason. If he had told her of Aqua, what else could he have said?

"Master Xehanort. How do you-" Aqua began, sounding as confused and alarmed as Y was. There weren't many good scenarios that went with Xehanort teaching this woman.

"It seems you need time to consider my offer. Fortunately, I have the perfect place." The woman said, seeing that Aqua wasn't going to cooperate. The woman struck the floor with her staff. The floor beneath Aqua opened up, dropping her down to unseen floors below. Y rushed forward trying to get a better look. She stopped at the edge of the hole but only saw darkness. "And what of you child? Surely you would understand, with your brother being lost." The woman said, gaining Y's attention. Y looked up and frowned.

"What do you mean? X isn't lost." Y said, stepping back from the hole. She looked at the woman harshly. X might not have been around, but that didn't mean he was lost.

"I see, you do not know. It's a shame, for he so helpfully led Terra to darkness." The woman said. Y's eyes widened as she realized what the woman meant. X was lost to darkness.

"X would never!" Y objected, taking yet another step back. Maybe she could run, find a way to rescue Aqua and get out of here.

"But he did. And you could be of great help to me as he was." The woman replied with a cold smile. Y had a strange feeling this woman knew what she was thinking. And it was a terrifying thought. Y clenched her fist, glaring at the woman. She was talking nonsense to lead Y into the darkness. That had to be it.

"Take your offer and shove it up your ass!" Y snapped. The woman gave Y a cold glare.

"It appears you need time to deliberate as well." She said. She struck the floor again and opened the hole in the floor wider. Y fell into it with a sudden scream.

Y landed on a hard stone floor much softer than she had expected to. Though she was in pain she doubted anything was broken. Y looked up to see a dismal grey room filled with people. One was Aqua and another was a young man with brown hair. There were also three old women who were floating and holding wands, so Y was willing to bet they were fairies. They each wore a different color, one red, one blue, and the last green.

"Oh look, it's a party." Y said sarcastically as she stood up. "Where are we going?" She asked.

"To rescue the princess," Aqua answered. Y smiled at her.

"Awesome, let's go." Y said.

Outside of the cell, the group worked their way up the stairs. Various minions were placed on the stairwell leading to the castle itself. Aqua and Y were able to quickly rid of the annoyances. They made it to what must have been an audience chamber. There were walls on either side that didn't reach the ceiling. Y tensed as she saw a raven sitting on one of the walls.

The raven took flight when it saw the group that was Aqua, Y, and the prince from the dungeon. As the raven flew away the walls came down and revealed even more minions. Y rolled her eyes in exasperation. Of course.

The fight went on for a while. The minions luckily were not the brightest. Y found it was easy to take multiple out at once by forcing them to run into each other. Once the audience chamber was cleared the group proceeded to the outside of the castle. There was a quick skirmish there with more of the woman's minions but once again they were simple enough to fight.

Outside the castle, they were still met with opposition. This time in the form of Unversed rather than the minions the woman had kept. The group rushed through the bright forest, avoiding as many fights with the Unversed as they could. There seemed to be more pressing matters.

The group of three finally managed to make it to where the princess was asleep as Y had been informed sometime during their running. She wasn't exactly sure when but she knew it had come out. As they crossed the bridge they heard the woman's voice ring out.

"A forest of thorns shall be your be your tomb... Wound 'round the castle in a bower of doom!" She cried. Lightning struck and great vines of giant thorns appeared around the castle. Aqua, Y, and the prince continued running. Y was already searching for the easiest path through the thorns. There seemed to be plenty of room for them to fit through. However, they were stopped the woman appearing before them in green flames.

"Maleficent, what did Master Xehanort tell you?" Aqua demanded of the woman. Y wasn't sure where Aqua had learned the name but she didn't see fit to question it. She stood beside Aqua with her keyblade at the ready.

"Such a pity, child, that you don't have Terra's gift for obedience. Nor can you see how easy it was for him." Maleficent replied rather than answer the question.

"Terra would never do anything to help you!" Aqua insisted.

"Quite the contrary. He fully embraced the darkness within himself. With encouragement from his friend from the darkness." Maleficent replied. Her eyes wandered to Y when she said friend from the darkness. Y felt her fist clench in anger. She was accusing X again.

"Stop lying!" Aqua shouted.

"X wouldn't do that!" Y yelled. She was very close to her breaking point with this woman's nonsense.

"See for yourself-all the powers of hell!" Maleficent yelled. She was engulfed in green flames that slowly began taking the shape of a dragon. Y watched her in shock.

"This is going to be fun." Y muttered as the group stood staring at the dragon now in front of them.

Without any sort of plan, the three charged together. They jumped up and slashed the dragon with their blades. Maleficent responded by shaking her head and rearing up onto her hind legs before dropping back to the ground. A shock wave rippled from her feet knocking Y back. Maleficent shook her head again, this time breathing fire that was green. Y rolled to the side and watched the prince and Aqua do the same trying to avoid the heat of the flames.

Suddenly Maleficent took to the air, circling around the three. Y stepped back a bit and raised her keyblade. She took aim and waited for the right time to strike. Beside her, Aqua did the same.

"Light." Y said simply as beams of light shot from her keyblade knocking Maleficent from the sky. Beside her Aqua shot off ice crystals, hitting Maleficent alongside Y's light. Maleficent landed on the ground. She shook herself off before standing on her hind legs once again. When she came back down she pushed Y and Aqua away from the prince.

"No!" Aqua said, trying to get to the prince. Maleficent bit at the prince. He responded by wildly swinging his sword to keep her back. The fairies from the dungeon suddenly appeared and shouted a spell of some kind, based on its rhyme scheme. The prince threw his sword which embedded itself in the dragon.

The dragon vanished with a great roar, leaving nothing behind. The three fairies waved their wands and the thorns disappeared. Aqua and Y stood back as the prince continued his way into the castle. Y assumed he was going to wake the princess now.

Y glanced over to see Maleficent sulking away from the sight of the battle. She nudged Aqua and pointed. Aqua frowned turning to face Maleficent.

"It's the power of true love that defeated you," Aqua said simply. Maleficent glared at her. Y felt anyone else would have cowered away in fear, but Aqua held her ground.

"I will not be defeated by something as insignificant as love." Maleficent spat.

"You don't even know the first thing about it. You're too clouded by darkness to see that there's something greater. Try all you want, but you'll never defeat a heart filled with light." Aqua said. She held her head up high and spoke proudly. Y was surprised, it really did seem like Aqua was coming into her role as a Master well. Something Y was frequently forgetting. Her best friend was now a Master.

"Perhaps..." Maleficent said. "But remember one thing- as long as there is light there will be darkness. And in time, many more will be drawn to it. Then they will all belong to me!" She declared before fading away into what Y was now considering her signature green flames.

"Terra, you better stay strong for me," Aqua muttered. Y looked at her concerned.

"Do you think Terra really helped her?" Y asked cautiously. Aqua looked down at Y and smiled softly.

"No." She answered. Y frowned feeling Aqua wasn't being totally honest. She could tell by the look in Aqua's eyes something was still bothering her. "Do you believe your brother did?" Aqua asked. Y frowned looking away.

"Part of me doesn't want to, but it's bugging me. X, he was different. But I don't know how. He, he did mention something about the darkness changing him." Y answered slowly. Aqua nodded slowly. Y wasn't sure what they could do. There was no proof, but all the same, Y felt something was changing. And it was changing in a dark way.


	12. Chapter XI

**Chapter XI; Answers**

The world Master Yen Sid lived in was rather unimpressive. The entire world consisted of a patch of land, with a few bushes around the edges. There was a tower, that looked a little bent out of shape with more towers coming off it towards the top.

Before X and Terra could reach the tower a humanoid mouse ran out of the building holding a keyblade and something else the X couldn't identify. X blinked in surprise, just realizing. That was a rodent that was on two legs and walking like a human. Even more, he had a keyblade. Was just anyone capable of wielding those things? Why an oversized rat?

The mouse held up his hand that held the strange objected. X decided it was vaguely star-shaped, but he didn't know anything else. It could be anything.

"Alakazam!" The mouse said. Its voice was squeaky but obviously male. The object he was holding glowed brightly. Suddenly the mouse was flying into the sky in a zigzagging pattern, quickly becoming a white streak of light in the sky. X blinked in surprise once again.

"That was weird." X said. Terra glanced at him.

"Let's just go see Yen Sid." Terra said. X nodded in agreement. He hoped Yen Sid didn't turn out to be something as strange as the mouse they just saw.

They entered the tower and went up the winding stairs to the top of the tower. There were no turnoffs at any point on the stairs, making it clear they only had one way to go. As they entered the room at the top of the stairs Terra straightened up. X watched him but didn't move.

Inside the room standing at a window behind a desk was a tall man wearing a blue robe and a blue hat with stars and moons on it. He wasn't facing the two, so X couldn't get a read on him. But he looked like he might be smart. But that didn't mean he couldn't be tricked.

"Master Yen Sid." Terra said, catching the old man's attention. The old man turned to face him. He had a long grey beard and black eyes that alarmed X. "My name is Terra, and this is X." Terra said, not reacting to Yen Sid's appearance.

"Yes, Eraqus' pupil. I was expecting you, though the creature of darkness with you is a surprise." Yen Sid said. His eyes locked onto X in an accusing manner. X met his gaze calmly.

"I assure you, though a dark creature X is not evil." Terra said. X was surprised Terra was defending him. Yen Sid didn't seem convinced.

"Are you certain?" Yen Sid asked. X stepped forward calmly, knowing whatever Terra said it wouldn't be enough to convince the great Mage. X would have to act for himself.

"Please, Master," X began. "I swear I'm not like my lessers. I still hold some understanding of morality. I only want to help." He said. He kept eye contact the entire time, trying to pretend he was serious. Yen Sid didn't look fully convinced, but he dropped the subject.

"Very well. You are here because of the Unversed, correct?" Yen Sid asked, sitting down at the desk. X noticed a candle holder that looked suspiciously like a skull in a corner of the desk.

"Yes, Master Yen Sid. I thought it best to seek the counsel of one wiser than myself." Terra replied. Yen Sid narrowed his eyes at Terra's words.

"I am no longer a Master. I doffed that mantle." Yen Sid said. Terra looked confused by that. X himself did wonder why he gave up the title. That did point to him being a wise man. Him knowing he still knew very little despite all his knowledge.

"But sir, wasn't that your pupil we passed on the way in? He had a keyblade." Terra asked. Yen Sid nodded.

"You refer to Mickey." He agreed "He, too, sought guidance here. As a king, he is good and kind. But the weight of the crown has not cured him of impetuousness. He left with an object whose power he does not understand nor know how to control. Mickey imagines my Star Shard will be of help in his current quest. And, like you, he is eager to use his keyblade to set things right." Yen Sid explained. X decided the Star Shard must have been what the mouse had been holding. He also noticed Yen Sid didn't say anything about his pupil being a huge walking, talking, mouse.

"I'm not sure I even understand what's wrong. Master Xehanort is missing. And now I've learned there is a masked boy controlling those 'Unversed' on the lose." Terra admitted. He sounded extremely frustrated.

"To arrive at the truth, perhaps you should approach things differently. First, consider them one and the same problem." Yen Sid said calmly. Terra looked up at Yen Sid surprised.

"Master Xehanort and the Unversed are connected somehow?" Terra asked. Yen Sid thought about his words momentarily before speaking again.

"I must not make assumptions." Yen Sid said simply. Terra turned to X. X suspected he was going to ask about what he knew. As Master Xehanort's apprentice, he should have some knowledge of any connection.

"X, you know something about this, don't you?" Terra asked. X looked away, to a wall where a bookcase was.

"Yes, the creator of the Unversed. I know him." X admitted quietly. Terra took in a shocked breath. X distracted himself from his reaction by reading the titles on the books.

"The masked boy," Terra said. X nodded slowly, still reading the titles. "What do you know?" Terra asked. X frowned, not sure how to get around this one.

"I'd tell you, really. But Master Xehanort won't let me talk." X said, looking back to Terra. Terra was frowning, while Yen Sid looked very skeptical. "Trust me. I don't like this guy any more than you do." X added. Terra nodded, turning back to Yen Sid.

"Find Xehanort, Terra. That is where you should begin." Yen Sid said. He was focused on X, maybe suggesting he saw through X's lies. It was hard to tell. X couldn't really get a read on the Mage. And it annoyed him.

Terra and X left the tower soon after. X was concerned with the recent development. Maybe Terra would start mistrusting Xehanort. If he did that could throw the entire plan. Terra needed to trust Master Xehanort as close to the end as possible.

While flying through the lanes between it became apparent Master Xehanort was aware of the problem.

X had carefully balanced himself on the back of Terra's glider. He was leaning against Terra's back, watching the reality around them. It was a swirl of color that X supposed was pretty. It wasn't something one would see in any world. It was only found here, where the darkness hung close. And it was calming.

"Terra." A voice rang out loudly. X quickly identified it as Master Xehanort's. Terra pulled the glider to a stop.

"Master Xehanort?" Terra asked. X rolled his eyes at the fairly needless question. Who else could it have been?

"Terra come see me at once." Xehanort's voice said. Terra began flying again, with a new purpose that seemed to suggest he had a vague idea of where he was going.

Terra brought them to the world X had become very familiar with. The desolate landscape spread out beneath them, with cliffs rising up to meet them. Master Xehanort stood below on one of the spires of rock. His hands were clasped behind his back as if he were waiting for them. Terra landed in front of Master Xehanort and dispelled his armor.

"I've been to other worlds. I know all about the things you've done. I just don't understand why." Terra said, standing in front of Xehanort. X wandered off to the side, just watching.

"Someone had to safeguard the light...from the demon, I unleashed." Xehanort said gravely. Terra glanced over to X but didn't say anything. Xehanort continued, seeing Terra wasn't going to interject. "You must know about the boy by now, the one in the mask. His name is Vanitas. A creature of pure darkness. One of my making." He said.

"Vanitas," Terra repeated. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the ground. "Are you telling me he came from you?" He asked.

"He came from Ventus." Xehanort replied.

"Ventus?" Terra asked in shock, looking up to Xehanort. Xehanort nodded sadly.

"Yes, Vanitas was the darkness that was inside your friend," Xehanort said. Terra gasped loudly. X couldn't help but smirk, they had him. "It was an accident. While training with me, Ventus succumbed to darkness, and there was one way to save him; strip that part of him away. And thus Vanitas was made. In the process, I damaged Ventus' heart in the most horrific way. So I did what I felt was right, and left him with Eraqus. I knew the boy could not stay with me, the man who did him such grievous harm." Xehanort explained, feigning grief and regret. X was impressed with his acting skills.

"Master Xehanort. Ventus has gotten a lot better since then. You shouldn't blame yourself for trying to save him." Terra said, taking a small step toward the Master. Master Xehanort smiled just a bit.

"Well, thank you, lad. You know how to put an old man's heart at ease." Xehanort said. X held in a laugh. If he even had a heart. Xehanort was the most heartless person X had ever met.

"And what about X?" Terra asked, once again looking at the blonde who was wandering around. X stopped to face him, waiting for Xehanort's answer. He needed to know what story he would be using.

"I don't know where the boy came from. He appeared here one day, Vanitas was the one to find him. I merely hoped to lead him away from the darkness." Xehanort replied. Terra frowned.

"You didn't know what he was?" Terra asked. X frowned glancing to his gloved hand.

"Not right away. But it soon became clear he was lacking something. I had never seen a Heartless look so human, I hoped he would prove to be teachable." Xehanort answered calmly. He looked over at X almost warily.

"Which I was," X said calmly. Terra nodded and looked away from X back to Xehanort. Xehanort nodded in agreement with X's claim.

"Yes, though his power only lies in darkness, he has proven himself capable of protecting the light." Xehanort said. Terra nodded and returned to thinking for just a moment. X hoped the questions would end soon. They were becoming tedious.

"Master, why is Vanitas still free?" Terra asked.

"Ah, yes," Xehanort said. He had been expecting this question since the reveal of Vanitas' identity. "Well, I did my best to contain him the moment he emerged, but," Xehanort trailed off.

"He managed to escape." Terra supplied. Xehanort nodded.

"Vanitas uses the keyblade to sow seeds of darkness. And now you see; the worlds teem with his ghastly underlings." Xehanort said.

"The Unversed," Terra said. X nodded for Xehanort this time.

"He has no control over the darkness in his heart. The keyblade is not his to bear. He's an abomination beyond hope of salvation. Lend me your strength, Terra. Right this wrong I have wrought." Xehanort pleaded. Terra looked ready to help, but something seemed to hold him back.

"But I have no idea where to find him," Terra said. X glanced at Master Xehanort, he had to have a plan.

"What I can tell you about Vanitas amounts to this. His darkness is drawn to light, which he seeks to disrupt, and then destroy. It stands to reason he will strike next in the city of light, Radiant Gardens." Xehanort said. X nodded, that world had a bright heart. It was one of the brightest stars in the sky, no matter what world you were in. There was probably something set up there too. A trap of some kind.

"Don't worry, master. We'll take care of Vanitas." Terra said determinedly. He turned to X. X glanced at Xehanort again.

"Go on ahead. I have something I want to discuss with the old coot here, and we don't have time to waste." X said. Xehanort looked at him with a questioning look, but didn't argue. Terra nodded.

"Right." He said, before activating his armor and leaving the world.


	13. Chapter XII

**Chapter XII; Fears and Lies**

As soon as Terra left the world X let out a breath of relief. That had been a problem he couldn't wait to get rid of. Now X could freely hand out knowledge of Vanitas as he saw fit. That could keep Terra's trust. And he wouldn't have to worry about Terra distrusting Master Xehanort.

"How is he progressing?" Xehanort asked, watching X with a glare. X glanced at him calmly, meeting the harsh gaze.

"Well, he trusts me. Still not too sure of the darkness, but I think he'll come around." X answered. X looked around the area, approaching the edge of the rock spire. He looked around, searching the horizon. He couldn't see the beginning of the keyblades stabbed into the ground. Which he supposed was why Xehanort had chosen here to meet Terra.

"How much longer?" Xehanort asked. His voice filled with impatience as he watched X walk around casually.

"Granted nothing goes wrong, not much." X decided. He stopped pacing around and looked straight towards Xehanort. He held back a smirk at the look of impatience that was on Xehanort's face. "I'll show him a few useful tricks, keep pretending to protect the light." X continued with a smirk.

"Vanitas will be here soon. Stay out of his way." Xehanort said, turning away from X. X frowned and put a hand on his hip.

"I can't help him out?" He asked motioning his other hand. Xehanort glanced over his shoulder at X. His yellow eyes narrowed at the Heartless, who didn't show any sign of caring. X continued to look at Xehanort with his hand out to the side.

"You must avoid suspicion if Terra's friends were to suspect you it could ruin everything," Xehanort said firmly. X rolled his eyes.

"Fine, I'll stay out of sight. But I need to figure out where Vanitas is going next. I think Terra should at least catch a glimpse of him, keep him motivated." X said. Xehanort seemed to consider this, looking over X suspiciously. He eventually looked away and nodded.

"Very well. Avoid detection." Xehanort said. X smirked and waved his hand.

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you." X said. Xehanort glared at X before opening a dark corridor and leaving the world. X sighed and walked off to the edge of the spire, finding a boulder to lean against.

He didn't know why Vanitas was coming to this world. Or who would be following him. If X had to place a bet it was probably Ventus. But that hardly mattered. If Vanitas was taking on Ventus it wouldn't be pretty. Ventus was the one thing in all the worlds Vanitas hated more than anything else. He wouldn't survive too many encounters with his dark counterpart.

X wasn't waiting very long for Vanitas to show. He landed in the center of the rock spire smoothly, turning to face X calmly. His mask was still on, which was unusual when he was talking to X.

"Don't tell me Terra's here," Vanitas said annoyed. X looked at him with disbelief. How stupid did he take X for? He would never meet Vanitas with Terra anywhere remotely close by.

"Just me wanted to see how your end is going," X answered calmly. Vanitas gave a short laugh and looked off to the side. He put a hand on his hip and shook his head. X wasn't surprised by that reaction.

"That loser isn't going to do anything," Vanitas said. That was no wonder. Ventus was too naive. His firm belief in good and evil made him weak. He hadn't seen anything that could shake his faith. He could stand to learn a thing or two about how the world really works.

"Guess you'll have to break him in then," X said with a mischievous grin. Vanitas looked towards him. He was silent for a minute, thinking.

"He's coming this way right now. You want to help out?" Vanitas asked. X's grin grew.

"Sounds like fun." He said. Vanitas snickered and turned away. X watched him calmly. If Ventus showed it would be more fun to play around with his head then to just beat him to a pulp. X dropped to the ground, giving himself the appearance he had just gone around with Vanitas and lost. Vanitas shot him a look but didn't speak. He probably caught on to what the Heartless was doing.

Shortly afterward Ventus arrived and dispelled his armor. His back was turned to where X and Vanitas were.

"Where's he hiding?" Ventus asked. He turned seeing Vanitas. He noticed X off to the side and a look of worry crossed his face. He looked back to Vanitas with a glare. "All right! What did you mean about Terra being a different person?" Ventus asked. He kept glancing at X every few seconds, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Exactly what I said, idiot. The Terra you know will be gone forever." Vanitas said arrogantly. Ventus clenched his fist in rage.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard." Ventus snapped.

"Stupid, or true?" Vanitas asked. Before Ventus was given a chance to respond Vanitas summoned his key and held it up. Ventus gasped in shock.

"A keyblade?" He asked. Vanitas ignored his question, waiting for Ventus to make his move. Ventus glared at Vanitas before summoning his own keyblade.

"Good. Let's see what you're made of." Vanitas said. X stood, doing his best to look as if he were in pain.

"Ventus, get out of here, he's too strong." X demanded. He summoned his daggers, turning to face Vanitas. Ventus looked at X surprised. He hadn't expected X to try to help him. Ventus looked back to Vanitas and glared.

"No, I have to find out what he means." Ventus insisted. X smirked at his stubbornness.

"You're not doing it alone then," X stated, pointing a dagger at Vanitas.

Without another word, Ven shot forward swinging his keyblade. Vanitas sidestepped him effortlessly. X moved to Vanitas' other side and slashed towards him with his daggers. It was a move Vanitas was all too familiar with and dodged. Vanitas struck X with the hilt of his keyblade then turned and swung at Ventus. Ventus brought up his keyblade to block Vanitas' blow.

Ventus skidded back from the sheer force of Vanitas' hit. X dashed at Vanitas again but was easily thrown back by Vanitas turning and hitting him with his key. Ventus took that opportunity to attack Vanitas. He managed several hits before Vanitas turned the tables on him. Vanitas began striking Ventus with a quick flurry of movement that once again knocked Ventus back. X threw one of his daggers at Vanitas, just scratching his arm. Vanitas ignored X, shaking off the blow and advancing on Ventus. Before he could hit Ventus, Ventus pushed himself quickly getting behind Vanitas. X took the opportunity to quickly relocate his dagger.

As Ventus began a sling of attacks on Vanitas' back X jumped in front and slashed at Vanitas a few times. Vanitas flipped away from the two, quickly regaining his footing. Vanitas renewed his attacks on Ventus, throwing him around the area easily.

Ventus staggered back from the attacks, panting heavily. X rolled his eyes. How was Ventus losing? Admittedly X wasn't being much help, but seriously. It was two to one, Ventus should be doing better than the few hits he was landing. Maybe Ventus really wouldn't be strong enough.

Ventus once again charged at Vanitas. Vanitas easily blocked his blow, pushing Ventus back. X stepped to the side and slashed at Ventus with his daggers, leaving shallow cuts across his arms. Ventus jumped back in surprise.

"What are you doing?" Ventus asked looking at X. X rolled his eyes standing calmly.

"Man, what a loser. Two to one and he's still kicking your ass." X said, clearly annoyed. He narrowed his eyes at Ventus who could only look at him in shock.

"But, why are you on his side?" Ventus demanded. Vanitas laughed harshly. X glanced at Vanitas lazily before looking back to Ventus.

"Darkness calls to darkness. You all just can't see that." X said simply. Before Ventus could speak again X shot towards him. He brought up one dagger, forcing Ventus to block him. While Ventus was too occupied with X Vanitas attacked him from the side sending him skidding across the ground into a boulder. Ventus groaned in pain as he pushed himself up.

X walked over to Ventus slowly, almost leisurely. Ventus glared up at him as he drew closer. Vanitas approached with X, clearly amused by the turn of events.

"What about your sister, don't you care about her?" Ventus asked. X thought about this for a moment, looking up to the sky as he spun his dagger in his hand.

"No, not really," X admitted after a moment. He looked back to Ventus with a cruel smile slowly spreading across his face. "Why should I? She left me after all."

"She's your sister!" Ventus objected. X rolled his eyes.

"You say that like it has some meaning." He said calmly. "I'd need a heart to care. But lucky for me, I don't have one of those to weigh me down." X didn't allow Ventus a chance to speak. He kicked at the blonde who had foolishly stayed on the ground. Ventus groaned out in pain, dropping his keyblade to clutch his stomach. X rolled his eyes yet again and tsked as he turned away from Ventus.

Vanitas shook his head stepping forward to look down at Ventus. He was surprisingly beaten up from such a short fight. Vanitas had managed to give him several large bruises and cuts. He was clearly out of breath and worn out.

"That really all you got? Man, you are worthless. I'd be going against the Master's orders, but so what? As far as I'm concerned, your job here is done." Vanitas said. He began charging for an attack, raising his keyblade above his head as dark energy gathered. He shot the dark energy at Ventus, creating a cloud of smoke and dust where Ventus had been.

As the smoke cleared both X and Vanitas were surprised to see Ventus was gone. The attack might have been strong, but X doubted its ability to completely disintegrate a body.

"Don't worry! You're safe." A high pitched almost squeaky voice said gaining Vanitas and X's attention. They turned to see the mouse from Yen Sid's world. Ventus was laying on the ground in front of the mouse. The mouse called forth his keyblade. "Heal!" The mouse called before turning to face Vanitas. Ventus stood behind him. "Tell me where you got that! Keyblades are not something you use just to bully somebody around! Here, I'll show ya!" X held back a snicker.

"We both will!" Ventus said stepping forward. X looked at Vanitas in disbelief. Vanitas shrugged and raised his keyblade. X sighed bringing up his daggers.

Vanitas quickly attacked Ventus leaving X to deal with the mouse. The biggest problem X assumed he was going to have was the height. The mouse, who X remembered Yen Sid had identified as Mickey, was the size of a small Unversed. X looked at Mickey unamused, waiting for him to make his move.

"Fighting with the darkness never pays off you know." Mickey said. X rolled his eyes.

"Oh please, save your lecture for someone who cares," X said simply. He rushed at Mickey quickly, bringing up his dagger across Mickey's front. Mickey jumped back bringing his keyblade up to block the blow. X moved his other dagger around the key easily, cutting Mickey shallowly. Mickey landed a few feet back from X. He jumped up again taking the offensive against the Heartless.

X brought his daggers up to block the hits. Mickey kept them coming forcing X to remain on the defensive. Mickey moved faster than any other keyblade wielder X had ever fought. He felt the keyblade hit long before he saw it coming.

Mickey jumped back once again giving X the opportunity to pause. He risked a glance over to Vanitas. Much to his surprise, Vanitas was clearly struggling against Ventus now. It was as if just by having an ally he had doubled in strength.

"You're friend won't be able to go much longer." Mickey said. X looked at him calmly. The mouse looked too cocky for X's liking.

"You're probably right. The loser seems to be getting better." X admitted. "But that's what we want after all."

"Who is we?" Mickey demanded. X looked at him and snickered. He banished his daggers away and stared down Mickey with a smirk.

"Wouldn't you like to know." X said. Mickey glared before jumping at X again. X stepped to the side and let the mouse fly past him.

"Well, I feel like this time has been well spent. Good luck protecting your light." X said, summoning a dark corridor. Mickey looked at him in shock. "You're going to need it," X said before stepping into the corridor. He thought he might have heard Mickey yell for him to stop but he ignored it. He hoped Vanitas killed Ventus. If not, he was going to have a lot of explaining to do.


	14. Chapter XIII

**Chapter XIII; Reunion**

Y looked around the lanes between in wonder. She was still in awe of how beautiful they were. Colors all swirling together. It was like a sunset, with a few extra colors, all around them. There were dots of light as well, marking where the worlds were. Aqua was a little bit ahead of Y, keeping focused on the area. Aqua felt less at ease in this place where the darkness hung close.

Aqua looked over her shoulder, unsurprised to see Y so at ease. It was almost like Y couldn't even feel the darkness that dampened the air. She instead leaned against the fin on the back of her glider calmly, like it was nothing. As Aqua turned to look forward again, the sight of another glider caught the pair's attention.

"Terra?" Y asked, looking to Aqua for confirmation. Aqua nodded slowly, clearly thinking.

"Where's he going?" Aqua asked. Y almost answered, but quickly realized it was a rhetorical question. Or Aqua was talking to herself.

The two followed Terra landing in a bright square of a town. It was surprising to Y, this almost looked like her world. But it wasn't she decided after a quick look. The colors weren't quite right. More blues and whites in the brick than what she knew was in her home. There it was more warm yellows and shadowed greys.

The other give away was a duck that was way too humanoid for Y to ignore. He was shorter than Y quite significantly. He wore a blue coat and a darker blue hat with glasses resting on the edge of his beak. Aqua seemed to notice the duck and crossed the square over to him. Y followed though she wasn't sure of Aqua's intentions.

"Excuse us. We're terribly sorry to bother you sir." Aqua said, catching the duck's attention. He turned to face them.

"Ach, what a well-mannered lass ye are. I'd be pleased as punch to help ye if I can." The duck said, sounding rather happy.

"We're looking for a boy who's not from around here. Have you seen him?" Aqua asked. Y frowned. That was actually a pretty vague question. That could translate not only to Terra but to Ven as well. And X too, if he was around. The duck seemed to think on this for a moment before nodding.

"Hm, I think I know just how you're talking about. He scampered off toward yon castle in a right hurry." The duck said, pointing off towards a castle.

"Thank you so much." Aqua said. The duck nodded and walked away. Aqua looked towards the castle. "I hope Terra's still there." She said. Y nodded looking at her friend. Something was wrong with Aqua. She looked too worried. Something else was going on. Y didn't ask as they made their way to the castle. Aqua really didn't give her the chance to.

At the castle, they heard a scream that made them draw their keyblades. There was a little girl with red hair running from Unversed. Y couldn't figure out what they would want with such a small child.

"No! Run!' Aqua yelled. The girl tried to follow Aqua's direction but got trapped by a wall. The Unversed tried to attack her but luckily missed. The little girl ran away from the wall to Aqua and Y. She hid behind Y, grabbing onto the handle of her keyblade. Y knelt down and rested a hand on the girl's shoulder. She glanced around quickly looking for an escape route. Fighting with a child present wasn't advised.

"There's no way we can fight like this." Y objected. Aqua looked down at her and nodded. Just then an Unversed jumped forward to attack. Before it could however a humanoid mouse, much like the duck from earlier, jumped in and knocked it aside with a keyblade.

"Hurry! You got to get that girl someplace that's safe." The mouse said. Y wasn't going to argue and stood to take the girl away. Aqua wasn't as convinced.

"Who are you? Why do you have a keyblade?" Aqua asked.

"I'll tell ya later. Right now, we gotta stop these things!" The mouse said. Aqua nodded in agreement preparing to fight. Y took hold of the girl's hand and pulled her away. As she did such she heard the obvious sounds of Aqua and the mouse fighting. Y stopped at a small garden filled with flowers.

"Stay here okay?" Y asked, looking at the little girl's bright blue eyes. Y could almost feel light radiate from this girl. It was odd. The girl nodded. Y smiled quickly before returning to Aqua and the mouse. There were only a few Unversed left and it didn't take long to be rid of them.

After the fight, the three stood together. The little girl joined them as well, seeming to know the danger had passed as she took hold of Y's hand. Y looked down at her with a soft smile as Aqua knelt down to speak to the mouse.

"Thank you. My name is Aqua, I train under Master Eraqus." Aqua said.

"I'm Y. I train under Master Eraqus too." Y said, turning her attention to the mouse.

"And I'm Mickey. I used to be Master Yen Sid's apprentice. I came back to him for more training." The mouse said cheerfully. Y was surprised to hear that. She didn't think Yen Sid was teaching anymore.

"I sense light in this girl. Do you think that's why they attacked her?" Aqua said, looking at the little girl, who smiled brightly at Aqua.

"Yep, I think you might be absolutely right. If you ask me she must be someone pretty extraordinary." Mickey agreed. Aqua nodded.

"Yes, I'm quite certain she's someone we're supposed to protect." She said. Y glanced down at the little girl who really didn't seem to be listening too much. She was still smiling.

"Let's join forces! Oh no, not now!" Mickey said, as his pocket began glowing. Y looked at it in question. "I'll be okay!" Mickey said just before he shot up into the sky as a flash of light. "See ya real soon!" He called as he vanished into the sky. Y held back the urge to laugh. That was surprising to her.

The little girl suddenly tugged on Y's hand. Y and Aqua both turned their attention to the little girl. She beamed up at them and held out two handfuls of flowers.

"Here!" She said happily.

"Are these for us?" Aqua asked. The little girl nodded.

"I picked you some flowers. Thank you for saving me!" She said happily. Y smiled as she crouched down to take the flowers. Aqua made the same movement.

"Aw, you're so sweet." Y said.

"These are lovely," Aqua said, looking at the brightly colored flowers.

"My name's Kairi. Nice to meet you!" The little girl said, standing up on her toes for a second. It was cute to Y. It reminded her of other children she knew and hadn't seen in a long time.

"It's nice to meet you too. I'm Aqua." Aqua said, with a soft smile.

"I'm Y." Y greeted.

"Kairi, about that light," Aqua began.

"Kairi!" An old woman's voice called out before Aqua could finish her question. Kairi turned towards the voice quickly.

"Oh! Grandma!" She said, gaining a smile quickly. Kairi took a step towards her grandmother but was stopped by Aqua.

"Wait Kairi, just a minute," Aqua said. Kairi did as asked, stopping and looking back to Aqua. Aqua gently touched the necklace the little girl wore. It glowed faintly, letting Y know some magic had been cast on the necklace. "I just cast a magic spell on you. One day when you're in trouble, the light within you will lead you to the light of another. Someone to keep you safe." Aqua explained, confirming Y's thought.

"Thanks!" Kairi said happily before running towards her grandmother. Y assumed she really didn't understand what Aqua had meant, but it didn't matter. Y hoped she would never have to know.

"There you are. It's time to go." Y heard Kairi's grandmother say.

"Kay! Oh, bye!" She turned and waved to Aqua and Y. Aqua and Y waved in return."Hey grandma?" Kairi asked, turning to her Grandmother as they walked.

"Hm, what is it?" Her grandmother asked.

"Could you tell me that story?" Kairi requested. Y wondered what story she meant. Her grandmother laughed.

"Again dear?" She asked.

"Please?" Kairi asked, looking up at her grandmother with a pleading look.

"Very well then." Her grandmother decided. Kairi laughed happily. "Long ago people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of light. Everyone loved the light. Then people began to fight over it. They wanted to keep it for themselves. And darkness was born in their hearts. The darkness spread, swallowing the light and many people's hearts. It covered everything, and the world disappeared. But small fragments of light survived, in the hearts of children. With these fragments of light, children rebuilt the lost world. It's the world we live in now. But the true light sleeps, deep within the darkness. That's why the worlds are still scattered, divided from each other. But someday, a door to the innermost darkness will open, and the true light will return. So, listen child. Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide you. Believe in the light, and darkness will never defeat you. Your heart will shine with its power and push the darkness away." Kairi's grandmother explained. Kairi nodded as the story finished.

Y frowned. She had heard that before somewhere. But she couldn't remember where. Or who had told her. But something else was off. That wasn't how Y had heard the story. When Y heard the story it was more, balanced. She wasn't sure why, but that seemed like the right word. Balanced.

"That story, I think I've heard it before. But it was, different." Y said to Aqua. Aqua looked at Y with interest before looking back towards Kairi.

"Something tells me we didn't run into her by accident," Aqua said in wonder. Y nodded in agreement. Aqua stood again and looked towards the town. She gasped as she saw a giant flying Unversed. "Unversed!"

"It never ends." Y complained before taking off after the Unversed, Aqua following close behind her. They ran through the entire town before finding the place the Unversed stopped. It was a square area, that luckily was away from the rest of town. Unfortunately, the Unversed joined up with two others making an even larger threat.

But they weren't going to be alone in this fight.

As they arrived into the area Terra and Ven ran in as well. They all slid to a stop side by side.

"Ven, Y!" Terra said in absolute shock. Y smiled at him nervously, though Ven didn't seem to care. He also seemed surprised like Terra was.

"Terra, Aqua, Y!" Ven said, looking between the three.

"Ven!" Aqua said. Y rolled her eyes, watching the Unversed. Now was really not the time for a catch-up session. Y cleared her throat catching the attention of the other three. She made a gesture towards the Unversed that for some reason hadn't attacked them.

The others seem to realize that the Unversed they had all chased here individually was a little more of a problem than catching up. All four of Eraqus' apprentices drew their keyblades and prepared to face the Unversed.

The fight was just like old days while training. Except of course they were against an Unversed instead of the attempted team ups against Master Eraqus. They all knew how to fight together. Terra and Ven handled up close combat well, Terra always using his strength while Ven relied on his speed. They played well off of each other, easily keeping the Unversed away from Aqua and Y.

Aqua and Y were more magic based. Aqua focusing on the elemental magic and Y using healing and light magic along with spells that boosted abilities on her friends. They were by no means defenseless if they had to get into close range combat, but it was easier for them to use magic.

It wasn't long until the Unversed was clearly on its last leg. Terra and Ven jumped back and joined Aqua and Y. The Unversed turned on them and prepared to attack, shooting some sort of beam at them. They all jumped out of the way and scattered across the area.

"Terra!" Aqua called. Terra nodded in understanding, looking to where Ven was.

"Ven, now!" Terra ordered. Ven nodded.

"Let's go Y!" Ven said. Y nodded, preparing herself to attack. Aqua launched herself into the air with Terra seconds behind her. Y and Ven jumped at the same time. Aqua landed a blow across the Unversed followed by Terra. Y and Ven hit together, the maneuver working just as they had practiced. The Unversed died in a harsh shriek.

"Got 'im." Terra said proudly, looking at his friends with a grin.

"We make a good team." Aqua said with a smile. Ven laughed putting his hands behind his head.

"Sure do." He agreed. Y grinned looking at them all. It had been too long since they had all been together. But it was odd, Terra was on his own. Wasn't X supposed to be with him?

"Of course." Y said simply. They stood silently together, just smiling for a second. Ven jumped seeming to remember something.

"Oh yeah! I got you these tickets." He said, taking said tickets out of his pocket.

"For what?" Terra asked.

"Lifetime passes to Disney Town." Ven explained handing each of his friends. Y took hers and looked at it with interest. She had never heard of this Disney Town place. But she supposed they really hadn't heard of any worlds they hadn't been to. "He said to give one to a friend and to- to take two grown-ups." Ven said looking very serious. Y grinned a little.

"You mean those two?" Y asked in disbelief, pointing at Terra and Aqua. Both looked at Y and laughed. Ven smiled a little and shrugged. Y turned to Terra. "Hey Terra, where's my brother?" She asked.

"He's catching up. Had something he needed to do in the last world we were in." Terra answered. Y nodded. She glanced over to Ven, who looked like something was bothering him. Y frowned in confusion. Aqua seemed to notice it as well.

"Listen to me, Ven. We need to get you and Y home." Aqua said. Y frowned at Aqua. Ven looked at Aqua and smiled a little.

"It's ok Aqua. Trust me, that guy in the mask is history. Him and X aren't ever going to bad mouth Terra or Y again." Ven said insistently. Terra and Y both gasped, though probably due to different parts of what Ven had said.

"You saw the boy in the mask?" Terra asked, taking hold of Ven's shoulder. Y remembered the masked boy, and she really didn't care about him. He was just an annoyance who spoke nonsense. Her concern rested with the other part of what Ven had said.

"What about my brother?" Y demanded. Ven looked shocked by both of their reactions.

"I saw them together. X helped him, said something about darkness calling to darkness. And then he said he didn't care about Y." Ven explained looking between the other two nervously. Y bit her lip. Terra stepped back, looking troubled.

"Vanitas, and X?" He muttered under his breath. Y frowned, looking at Terra. How did he know the masked boy's name? "Ven, Y, you let Aqua take you home," Terra said. Y looked at him in disbelief. Terra was usually the one on their side, what was going on?

"No way. I wanna go with you guys." Ven objected.

"Yeah, we can help." Y said.

"You can't." Terra said harshly. Y jumped back in surprise. Terra had never spoken to them like that. Like they were just children. "We have a dangerous task ahead of us. I don't want you two to get hurt." He said, trying to explain his behavior. He must have realized he sounded much harsher than he would any other time.

"And what is this dangerous task, Terra? It doesn't sound like what the Master told you to do." Aqua asked, in an almost condescending tone.

"It might be a different route, but I'm fighting the darkness." Terra said simply.

"I'm not so sure. I've been to the same worlds as you and I've seen what you've done. You shouldn't put yourself so close to the darkness." Aqua said. Y turned on her in complete disbelief. Was Aqua really believing the word of people they hardly knew? Over Terra?

"Terra hadn't done anything wrong!" Y objected.

"Listen to yourself, Aqua. Terra would never." Ven said, supporting Y.

"You mean you've been spying on me? Is that what he said to do? The Master's orders?" Terra asked in challenge.

"He was only-" Aqua began, but she trailed off. There was a pause where Y, Ven, and Terra waited for Aqua to continue. But she didn't, only looked at the ground quietly.

"Aqua..." Ven said in disbelief.

"I get it." Terra said. He turned to leave and began walking away. Ven stepped forward to follow him.

"Terra!" Ven said.

"Just stay put!" Terra snapped. Ven stopped in shock. "I'm on my own now, all right?"He asked. Hearing no reply he walked away. Y glanced around, hoping she could find a way to stop him. She froze when she saw X, watching from above. He wasn't looking at her, he was instead focused on Terra with a cold gaze. It made Y worry. X had never held such a gaze before. He moved back and followed Terra into the town. Y had a suspicion he had watched the whole fight and not lifted a finger to help.

"Terra, please! Listen! The Master has no reason to distrust you, really! He was just worried." Aqua called after Terra. Y looked at her disbelief, turning away from X.

"I can't believe you." Y said softly.

"You're awful, Aqua." Ven said bitterly.

"So now you know the truth. But the Master loves Terra, and you know that too." Aqua insisted.

"Were you also ordered to take us home?" Ven asked. Aqua didn't reply. She looked away from Ven and Y, almost seeming guilty.

"Of course she was." Y said in a whisper. Ven frowned and shook his head.

"Aqua, now that you're a keyblade master, you've let it go to your head," Ven said. He turned away from Aqua. "I'm gonna go find Terra." He said.

"Me too." Y agreed. She and Ven took off without a further word.


	15. Chapter XIV

**Chapter XIV; Darkness Calls**

X was beyond frustrated with Ventus. Things were going smoothly until that stupid blonde had to open his mouth. He had to say X had been with Vanitas. He had to have survived the fight, he couldn't have died there like Vanitas had intended him to. Now X had to clean up this mess before Terra doubted him too much. That could ruin everything they had worked for.

X found Terra going towards the outside of town. Terra looked troubled like he was overthinking something yet again. Terra tended to over think almost everything. It was an annoying habit that had to contribute to most of his doubts. If he would just stop thinking this would be so much easier.

"Terra!" X called out, preparing himself for whatever conversation followed. There was no use just putting it off. The sooner he cleaned up the mess the better. Terra turned toward X as he approached. His blue eyes narrowed at him in thought.

"X," Terra said. X cocked his head to the side in false confusion.

"Something wrong?" X asked stopping beside the older boy. Terra looked at X with his eyes still narrowed. X assumed he was trying to see through him, decide what the situation really was.

"You attacked Ventus," Terra said simply. X jumped a little in false surprise, deciding on his game plan. Best to pretend he had no idea what was going on. Terra would probably fall for that fairly easily.

"What? When? And why wasn't I made aware?" X asked in a joking way. When Terra didn't react X let his face fall. He watched Terra nervously as if the keyblade wielder would attack him at any second.

"Just before you got here apparently," Terra said, his voice rather quiet. X frowned.

"What? I was just talking to Master Xehanort. I left right after that, I think." X said, his eyebrows coming together to form a shallow v. He stepped back from Terra yet again.

"You think?" Terra asked. X looked up at him slowly, letting fear show in his eyes as plain as the daylight.

"Now that you mention it, it's kinda fuzzy," X admitted slowly. Terra looked at X in shock. "What exactly did Ventus say?" X asked. Terra frowned, recalling the event.

"He said he saw you and Vanitas together. You helped Vanitas, and said you didn't care about Y. Darkness calls to darkness, or something." Terra explained. X's face paled at Terra's words. X backed away from Terra yet again and began pacing around the area.

"Oh no," X muttered breathlessly. Terra looked at him in shock.

"Oh no, what?" Terra asked. X stopped pacing and looked at Terra with wide eyes.

"I think I might have attacked Ventus," X said softly, filling his voice with fear that he didn't really have.

"What?" Terra demanded. X flinched away from him.

"I can't really, explain it. I don't remember. But if Vanitas was there, I could have, and I wouldn't have known. He can control me." X said quickly. He was cowered back away from Terra, refusing to meet his eyes.

"How?" Terra asked, stepping back from X, looking at him curiously. X slowly came out of his cowering position, seeing Terra wasn't going to harm him.

"I don't really know. Master Xehanort says it's something about darkness calling to darkness. His darkness overpowers mine, and I have to do as he says. Like mind control." X explained. Terra looked at X in shock.

"So you really don't know?" Terra asked.

"I'm inclined to take Ventus' word. I probably did." X admitted. Terra nodded.

"But you didn't mean to?" Terra asked, almost hopefully. He was looking for a way X was innocent. It was helpful to X, truly.

"No, I would never. Not on purpose." X said quickly. Terra nodded and crossed his arms.

"Well, then I guess we'll just have to keep you away from Vanitas." Terra said with a smile. He turned away from X just as X smirked in satisfaction. Terra paused a few steps ahead. "It's looking like you and Master Xehanort are the only ones I can still count on." Terra said, almost to himself. X tilted his head to the side in confusion. Was the fight really that bad that he had lost faith in his friends? X opened his mouth to ask, but another voice stopped him.

"You must be Terra." The voice said. Terra and X turned to see a man with dark hair brushed back. He wore a blue uniform of some kind with a red scarf. "It's that old coot. He won't stop asking for you. I came all the way out here to get you just so he'd clam up." The man continued seeing he had Terra's attention.

"What do you mean?" Terra asked suspiciously. X was also suspicious of this man. He'd never seen him before. The man gave a short laugh.

"Do I have to spell it out? Xehanort, whatever he's called. You know, my prisoner." The man said. X stifled a laugh while Terra chuckled. That wasn't actually likely.

"You're apparently not a very good liar. Master Xehanort would never let himself be caught by a thug like you." Terra said condescendingly. X nodded in agreement but stopped. Maybe the old coot did have someone working for him here. It wouldn't surprise X.

"As if! I've got the old coot at my mercy, see for yourself. I'm holding him underneath the Outer Gardens. Better show up before I lose my patience. Ciao." The man said before walking away. X glared. He was the only one who called Xehanort the old coot. He didn't like someone else using the term.

"There's no way it's true." Terra said firmly. X shrugged.

"But there's no harm in checking." He said. Terra nodded in agreement.

They went to the Outer Gardens, easily finding a way to the under area. It didn't look like there was anything of interest. Until they turned to see Master Xehanort chained to a pipe above the ground. X fought his urge to laugh. He almost hoped the old coot would just stay there.

"Oh no," X said, despite the fact he believed Xehanort deserved it. It was amusing. If they didn't need each other to complete their goals, X would have left him long ago.

"Master Xehanort!" Terra said loudly. Master Xehanort looked up at the two slowly. He looked defeated.

"The old coot certainly knows how to take punishment. Just like I know how to deal it out." A voice said. X's eyes fell on to the man they had previously met. He had to be in on the plan, otherwise he wouldn't have caught the old coot

"You monster. What are you after?" Terra asked angrily. He summoned his keyblade.

"That thing right there. It's called the keyblade, isn't it? Yep, it seems like these days everybody's got one of those." The man said. X held in a snicker. "Even grandpa there. When I nabbed him, he told me all about it. What a weapon like that can do. How could I not want one?"

"Well, you'll find they're picky about their owners." Terra said. X looked at him in disbelief. The man laughed shortly once again.

"If I heard the old guy right, you're what they call keyblade master material. So if I defeat you, that makes me the real keyslinger, if you catch my drift. Not the most polite way to go about it, but what can you do?" The man said with a shrug. Terra took a few steps towards the man but stopped as the man pointed towards Master Xehanort with an arrow gun. "Ah-ah, one more step and the coot goes boom. You think I'm going to fight fair? As if! That keys too powerful for us to go mano a mano." The man said. Terra grit his teeth together in frustration. The man shot at Terra. Terra blocked the arrow but was knocked back by the pressure. X looked at him in panic as the man laughed. "Hmph, for a keyblade master you're not very, what's the word, good?" Terra stood up again, glaring at the man.

"What are you doing, Terra? Fight!" Master Xehanort yelled from where he was chained. Terra quickly looked to Master Xehanort.

"But master, you'll-" Terra began to object. Master Xehanort cut him off.

"Never mind me! You must fight! You can't let this ruffian win! Think of your master, Eraqus, the shame he and your fellow pupils would be forced to bear! Use the keyblade." He ordered. Terra nodded and turned back to the man. He raised his keyblade in preparation to fight. X drew his daggers as well.

"Pfft, so much for the bluff." The man said with a smirk.

As soon as the fight began X slipped away from Terra. He didn't know what was going on but he figured it would be better to let it happen. X instead made his way to where Xehanort was chained. X began to take apart the chains, trying to free his master. He didn't ask about the plan. He wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Just as X managed to free Master Xehanort the fight between the man and Terra came to a close. Terra was on his knees and shot a dark beam towards the man twice. The first cut on the man's face, while the second hit directly in the man's eye. X was surprised to see that Terra could use the darkness.

The man cried out in pain before running away. X looked to Xehanort for his direction.

"This power..." Terra said in dismay.

"Well done, Terra," Xehanort said as he approached Terra. X walked beside his master, smiling softly at Terra. "You have taken yet another step forward."

"But I was consumed by anger, hatred. That was the power of darkness." Terra objected looking up to Xehanort.

"Darkness that you channeled," Xehanort replied. Terra banished his keyblade and shook his head.

"No, I succumbed to it. Just like when I stole princess Aurora's heart of light. I can never return home now. I'm a failure." Terra said. X sighed heavily. What a pain.

"Then don't. You could be my pupil." Xehanort suggested. Terra gasped and looked up at Master Xehanort, almost with hope. "Master Eraqus, you see, is so afraid of darkness, that he too has succumbed. Not to darkness, but to light. It shines so bright, he forgets light begets darkness. And Aqua, Ventus, and Y, their lights shine too bright. It is only natural that they cast shadows on your heart. Eraqus... He is such a fool! Light and darkness, they are a balance, one that must always be maintained. Terra, you are the one who shows the true mark of mastery, but he refuses to see it. And I know why. It is because he fears you. Join me. You and I can do the world such greater good, by wielding light and darkness in equal shares." Xehanort explained dramatically. X held back an urge to roll his eyes various times through the conversation. Though some was true, most was just nonsense to convince Terra darkness was cool. It was amusing that it worked.

"Master Xehanort." Terra said. Xehanort shook his head.

"See more worlds. Seek out the darkness that upsets the balance. Find Vanitas, and bring an end to him. Master Terra." Xehanort said. X gasped in surprise. Now it made sense, why Xehanort had insisted that Terra couldn't be made a master. So he could use it against him. Clever, as always.

Terra stood straight and bowed to Master Xehanort. Xehanort smirked before walking away. X smiled turning to Terra.

"A master, pretty impressive, I guess." X said. Terra turned to him with a thoughtful expression.

"Do you believe everything he said?" Terra asked curiously. X nodded quickly.

"Of course I do. Light and Darkness, they always balance out in the end. I mean, Y was born to be the light and I was born to be the darkness. A balance." X explained with a shrug. Terra nodded, smiling just a little.

"Well, I guess we should get going then." He stated. X nodded in agreement.

They found their way out from the underground to the Outer Gardens. X sighed as he glanced around. His eyes widened when he saw Y and Ventus.

"Terra!" Ventus yelled, quickly causing Terra to turn. X ducked behind Terra trying to hide as if he was afraid as Ventus and Y drew closer. "Take us with you!" Ventus said.

"I can't do that," Terra said calmly. Y locked her gaze onto X, who quickly looked away. She glanced at Terra before looking to her brother again.

"Why are you still with X?" Y asked softly.

"It's a long story. But he didn't mean to do it." Terra replied calmly. Y nodded but looked unconvinced, her eyes not leaving X.

"I still did it." X said unhelpfully. Terra glared over his shoulder at him.

"Vanitas was controlling you." Terra said. X shrugged.

"Still did it." He replied. Terra sighed heavily.

"It doesn't matter. You know it was wrong, and you want to change it." Terra said simply turning back to his younger friends. Y was still looking at X unsure.

"Why can't we go with you?" Ventus asked, changing the subject.

"I just- when I really need you guys, I know you'll be there." Terra said carefully. Y tipped her head to the side in confusion.

"Of course we will." Y said looking to Ventus. Ventus looked relieved unlike her.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Ventus asked with a smile.

Terra smiled at then both before putting on his armor. He turned to X who shook his head.

"I'll meet you in the next world." X said. Terra nodded before summoning his keyblade glider and leaving the world. After Terra was gone X turned to Ventus.

"Listen, Ventus, I'm really, really sorry." X said with an apologetic grin. Ventus looked at him with his head tilted to the side.

"You really didn't know?" Ventus asked.

"No, I didn't. But I'm sorry. Especially if you got hurt." X replied. He didn't look at Y. He knew she wouldn't be convinced by his lies. He could feel it in her gaze. She still thought something was wrong.

"Well, I guess if you didn't mean it." Ventus decided. X smiled at him appreciatively.

"Thanks. I'll see you later then." X said with a salute.

"Be careful X." Y said in warning.

"You too, I don't like what Vanitas is up to." X said, before putting his hands in his pockets and walking away. He felt Y's gaze remain on him.

"Right." He heard her say, worry plain in her voice.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Hey all, just wanted to thank you again for reading, it means a lot to me. To my guest reader, welcome back. I assure you, you missed nothing of importance in the last story and I'm glad you came back to read this one. Thank you so much for your feedback!**


	16. Chapter XV

**Chapter XV; Finding Friends**

After running after Terra Y and Ven very quickly got lost. The town was new and not something Y could say she expected. But the bright side was she had Ven this time. He seemed a little different, maybe a little more serious, but it didn't matter to Y. He was ok. For now.

Y suspected where they were was close to the castle. But the exact location was fuzzy. Ven walked beside her looking around in interest.

Very suddenly Ven started forward. Y heard a sound like an 'oof '. Y and Ven both turned to see a little girl on the ground. The girl had dark red hair that reached her shoulders. She wore a white tank top with black shorts and sandals. Her bright blue eyes looked up at them curiously.

"Oh, sorry. You okay?" Ven asked. The little girl stood up and brushed herself looking over her shoulder. She had to have only been five. Y glanced around, looking for anyone older who might be responsible for the girl. She found no one.

"I'm fine." The little girl said cheerfully. She looked over her shoulder quickly before looking back to Y and Ven. She was smiling brightly, despite not knowing them at all.

"Why do you keep looking over your shoulder?" Y asked curiously, glancing where the girl was looking. There was nothing.

"I'm playing a game and I can't get caught." The little girl answered happily. She glanced around them, for some reason. Her bright smile only grew. She darted past Y and Ven, making them turn to keep an eye on her. She was walking over to a young boy with silvery blue hair flopping over his eye. He wore a white lab coat. "Hi, Ienzo!" The little girl greeted. The boy nodded at her, then turned his attention to Y and Ven. He didn't say anything, which for some reason made the little girl laugh. "Come on Ienzo, no need to be shy. Say hello." The girl encouraged.

Out of nowhere, a large group of Unversed appeared, surrounding the two kids. The little girl stepped forward, raising her fists as if she meant to fight. Y and Ven summoned their keyblades, jumping in front of the kids.

"You two need to get back!" Y ordered, not looking over her shoulder at the kids.

"We'll take care of this." Ven said determinedly. Y heard footsteps that she assumed meant the kids were listening.

The fight was a simple one, like most fights against lower level Unversed were. Even better Y had Ven instead of Aqua. She worked well with the blue haired mage, but she spent more time training with Ven. They knew exactly how to fight together.

Once the Unversed were gone Y and Ven turned back to the kids. Ienzo was still looking at them silently. The little girl smiled at them happily. She looked about ready to say something but stopped hearing a man's voice.

"Ienzo! Where are you?" The man called out. The little girl lost her smile and cowered done. "Answer me!" The man demanded. Y and Ven turned to see a man with long blonde hair wearing a lab coat like Ienzo's. Ienzo approached the man, the little girl following him trying to stay out of the man's sight. "Ah, there you are. Didn't I warn you not to wander off, child?" The man said. He noticed the little girl with a frown. "Kiu, what are you doing here? I'm sure your grandmother is worried sick about you. Go this instant." He ordered.

"Yes, Mr. Even." The little girl said glumly. She turned to Ven and Y and waved before running back towards the town. The man, Even, turned to the two.

"We owe you our thanks. We have done our best to raise the boy since his poor parents are not here to do it." He said, motioning to Ienzo. Y smiled softly and leaned down, putting her hands on her knees.

"Oh, you're on your own?" Y asked softly. She hadn't known her parents very well. They had died or something like that when she and X had been very small. The boy continued to look at her blankly.

"Sir, we're looking for a friend of ours. He's a tall guy dressed kinda like me, have you seen him?" Ven asked. Even frowned thinking.

"Hm, perhaps I did see him in the outer gardens. Just follow this road." Even said, pointing down the road towards the edge of town.

"Thanks." Y said, straightening up. Even crossed his arms and continued to look at the pair of keyblade wielders.

"No, thank you, for keeping Ienzo out of harm's way. And, well, let's say I have a feeling we are destined to cross paths again." He said. He walked away, Ienzo following him. Y frowned watching them go.

"That was weird." Y said. Ven laughed a little.

"No kidding." He agreed.

Without another word, Ven took off towards the Outer Gardens. Y followed him a second later. They reached the Outer Garden to see Terra getting ready to leave. X was beside him, looking worried about something.

Ven and Y managed to get Terra's attention and try to convince him to allow them to follow. He didn't of course. X took the time to apologize to Ven for their last encounter, claiming he didn't know he was doing it. Y wanted to believe him. But something was wrong, and she couldn't put her finger on it.

They left the Outer Garden to find Aqua after Terra and X had gone their separate ways. Aqua was in town, looking at the ground with a frown. Y suspected something was off but had no clue exactly what it was.

"Aqua!" Ven called, catching her attention. She looked up at them with a worried smile. It was a look Y was used to on her over motherly friend.

"Ven, Y. Were you able to find him?" She asked. Y smiled and nodded.

"Uh-huh." She confirmed.

"But he's gone." Ven supplied. Aqua nodded, looking back to where she had been before. Y noticed a few bruises and scrapes she definitely hadn't had before. Y frowned glancing around. Flowers were torn up. It looked like there might have been a fight.

"Right," Aqua said. There was a pause, each person lost in their thoughts. "Then I can't stay here." Aqua decided, breaking the short silence that had quickly become heavy.

"Let us go with you," Ven demanded. Y pushed him gently, glaring at him out of the corner of her eye. If they wanted to go with her they couldn't push her. It would only make her insist they were left behind even more.

"Please," Y asked.

"No. Do as I say and go home." Aqua said firmly. Ven looked down in defeat.

"Why can't we go?" Y asked in annoyance.

"I don't want to put you in harm's way," Aqua said. She knelt down and put her hands on both Ven and Y's shoulders. "You understand?" Aqua asked. Y didn't reply, nor did Ven. Aqua sighed before putting her keyblade armor on and leaving the world.

Y glanced at Ven with a sad smile. Ven returned the look.

Y and Ven later found themselves sitting in the town square, side by side. They had their backs to the wall of the flower beds. Ven was swinging the old wooden keyblade he had received from Terra what must have been ages ago. Y leaned her head on his shoulder, staring down at the ground in thought.

Ven swung the key with more force than before, actually succeeding in throwing the key across the square. Unfortunately, it landed at the feet of a boy with spiky red hair. He bent down to pick up the key, looking at it in interest. Beside him was a boy with blue hair.

"This yours?" The redhead asked. Ven nodded slowly. The blue-haired boy rolled his eyes.

"Lea, we don't have time for this." The boy said. The redhead, who was apparently Lea, brushed him off.

"Lighten up, Isa. It'll only take a sec." Lea said. He walked towards Ven, twirling the key in his hand. "You still play with toy swords? That's cute." He continued, offering the key to Ven. Ven took it from him, while Y glared at the redhead. He reached behind him with a smirk. "Now this right here," he said, pulling out a set of frisbees. "Tada! Whaddya think?" He asked. Y snickered, hiding behind her hand.

"Not a whole lot," Ven said honestly. Y laughed once again.

"Your just jealous. I'm Lea. Got it memorized? What're your names?" Lea asked. Ven looked at Y. She shrugged in reply. This kid seemed so hyper.

"Ventus, and she's Y." Ven answered. Lea looked between the two for a moment, then nodded, keeping his cocky smirk.

"Okay, Ventus. Let's fight." Lea said. Ven raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Right. Why would I wanna do that?" Ven asked, sarcastically. Lea laughed, still seeming just as arrogant as before.

"You scared of losing? C'mon." Lea said. Ven seemed to think about it for a moment. He decided to stand up and face Lea. Lea seemed extremely pleased by this decision, hopping back just a bit. Y rolled her eyes. "Yeah! Now we're talking!"

"You're gonna be sorry." Ven warned. Isa laughed from off to the side. Ven and Lea began their sparring match. Y stood and went to where Isa stood.

"Is he always like this?" Y asked curiously. Isa laughed sarcastically, watching his redhead friend in the spar he was clearly losing.

"Only on days that end in y." Isa replied. Y looked to Lea in shock and disbelief.

"How do you handle him?" Y asked.

"A healthy dose of sarcasm, and letting him get out of troublesome situations on his own." Isa replied. As he did Lea collapsed onto the ground, Ven looking down at him.

"You, had enough? Cause I'm willing...call it a draw if you are." Lea said breathlessly. Ven laughed at him, lowering his toy keyblade.

"Right." He agreed.

"From where I stood, the only thing you drew was a big L on your forehead for Loser," Isa said unhelpfully. Y laughed a little beside him.

"Lame." She supplied. Isa nodded in agreement, crossing his arms.

"Laughable." He continued. Lea looked at him in shock.

"Wha- Isn't this the part where ya, cheer me up or somethin?" Lea asked in disbelief. "'You're just havin a bad day.' Or 'that's what you get for pullin your punches!' Some friend." He said looking at Isa in near desperation. Isa smirked at his friend.

"Oh, you mean I was supposed to lie." He said. Y couldn't help but grin. Lea turned to Ven in disbelief.

"Ya see what I gotta put up with? Sure hope you don't have friends like him." Lea said. Ven looked at him in confusion at first, but quickly he smiled. Y began to laugh quietly to herself, amazed at how much she already liked Lea and Isa. Her laughter soon spread and all four were laughing.

The laughter stopped with Isa looking towards the sky.

"Lea, we have to go." Isa said simply. Y looked at him in interest.

"Kay." Lea agreed without an argument, surprisingly. As Isa turned to leave Lea got to his feet, brushing himself off.

"Already?" Ven asked disappointedly. Lea looked at him with a smirk. Something that adorned his features often.

"I'll see ya when I see ya. After all, we're friends now. Got it memorized?" Lea asked. Ven smiled in return and nodded.

"Okay Lea." Ven agreed. Y laughed walking to where Ven stood with a grin.

"Couldn't forget you even if I wanted to." She said in a joking manner. Lea and Isa went on their way, pausing to talk about something Y couldn't hear. They looked towards the castle at the center of town.

"It must be nice. Knowing who your friends are." Ven said absentmindedly. Y looked at him in shock. He looked sad, probably due to the problems they'd been having with their other friends.

Y couldn't blame him. They all seemed to be drifting apart. No one was who they used to be. They were all changing so quickly. It was like they had all learned something that made it impossible to trust each other.

"Well, we have each other." Y said softly, her hand slipped into Ven's giving it a reassuring squeeze. Ven smiled and squeezed her hand back.

"Yeah, we have each other."


	17. Chapter XVI

**Chapter XVI; Hidden Whispers**

X stood in the underground, looking out over a balcony that looked over the rest of the underground. Master Xehanort wasn't far from him, looking in a similar direction. X cast a glance in his direction, waiting for the old coot to speak. But he didn't, much to X's annoyance. He just stood there.

"Didn't think I could do my job?" X asked, his anger and annoyance showing plainly in his voice. Xehanort looked at X calmly before returning his gaze to the underground. X couldn't imagine what was so interesting that he couldn't look away from it for an extended period of time.

"Time is of the essence. You were taking too long." Xehanort said calmly. X rolled his eyes and shook his head in disbelief. A lame excuse. They were nowhere near ready.

"Man, wish that crazy guy had shot you. You're really a pain in my ass." X said. Xehanort looked at him with a glare, his attention seeming to finally be dragged away from the nothing he was staring at. The old coot, however, didn't speak, just glared at the Heartless monarch besides him.

"Hey, you old coot!" The voice of the man that had targeted Terra yelled out. Several arrow-like projectiles were shot at Xehanort, but they all bounced off of an invisible barrier. The man didn't seem to care as he drew closer continuing to shot while he raved on. "You said I wouldn't get hurt! I didn't sign up to be collateral damage!" The man held his gun up to Xehanort's head. X fought his urge to snicker in amusement. "No way, as if!"

Xehanort summoned his keyblade without a sound. At the sight of the keyblade X frowned. He really did hate those stupid showy keys. There was no point in them, except to destroy everything in their way. The man leaned back from the key in the fear that was appropriate when faced with such a weapon.

"Okay! Okay, fine. Fine!" The man said in a panic. "Just..just put that down! You still need me! You still need me to do something, right? And all I'm asking is that you hold up your end of the bargain." He said trying to remain calm. X watched him in disinterest. Xehanort banished his keyblade calmly. The man let out a deep breath of relief. "Heh, I mean, what's a little scratch on my face, huh? All things considered. I'm just lucky he didn't steal my heart like princess Whatever-it-was. That would've ruined my week for sure." He said calmly. X resisted his urge to snicker. This man really didn't know anything about what was going on. Xehanort was using him like he used everyone else.

"Unlikely," Xehanort said, turning back to the underground. "A powerful light still lives inside of Terra. You see people like him, they don't have the power to steal hearts." He continued. He cast a glance at X. X pretended not to noticed and picked at his nails calmly. The man looked at Xehanort in confusion.

"So wait, you mean, he's not the one who stole her heart?" The man said in shock. Xehanort only smiled a cruel smile in reply. X looked up from his nails, meeting the man's eyes. X flashed his eyes bright yellow, causing the man to back away in fear.

X once again had to fight to keep himself from laughing.

*3*

It took X awhile longer than he intended to find Terra. With so many options of where he could have gone, X made about three stops prior to finding Terra.

The world X found Terra in was bright and colorful. It looked rather peaceful compared to all the rest. X didn't notice any Unversed at all. Maybe Vanitas hadn't gotten into this world yet. Terra was talking to a group of inhabitants, each of which looked like some type of animal. Like the mouse, Ventus had fought with.

X blinked in confusion but approached the group slowly. He took note of two chipmunks, a mouse queen, and a female duck.

"I can't say racing interests me, but I need to defeat the Unversed. Tell me what I've gotta do." Terra said as X came into earshot. No one had noticed him yet, but that was fine by him.

"Are you talkin about all those carts that look like scary, ugly monsters?" One of the chipmunks asked. It, he, had a black nose while the other had a red nose. Terra nodded in reply. Both chipmunks hummed in thought.

"Well, we've only ever seen the monsters on the track." The mouse queen said calmly.

"That's it! Terra, you just need to enter the races!" The black nosed chipmunk said, jumping up into the air a little. He was already up on a platform so he would be easier to see. "And while you're at it, take that Captain Dark down a notch or two. He's always breakin the rules and causin trouble." He added.

"I have to become a racer?" Terra asked warily. X glanced towards his side where there was a race track. That had to be what they were talking about. So all the Unversed were there. Weird.

"Mm-hm, mm-hm." The chipmunks confirmed in unison.

"Now, I'm sure I don't have to tell you-" The queen began. Terra cut her off with a smile.

"I know. I'll play by the rules." Terra said. The queen laughed happily. X decided then would be the best point to interject.

"What's going on?" X asked. The entire group turned to him quickly, with varying degrees of surprise. Terra was the least surprised, but that was probably because he was used to X.

"Oh, why, hello." The queen greeted. X acknowledged her with a small bow. Terra watched him with a laugh.

"X, what took you so long?" Terra asked as X straightened up.

"I was being sure Master Xehanort wasn't hurt. And then I got lost. What are you signing up for?" X replied, quickly reasking his question. Terra frowned and looked at the race track.

"The Unversed are on the race track. The only way to get them is to be part of the races." Terra explained. X nodded slowly. Still very strange that the Unversed would be only there, but whatever.

"Oh, well, uh, good luck?" X said, trying to figure out the appropriate response. Terra laughed at his confusion.

"Thanks," Terra said with a chuckle. X supposed that meant his response had been somewhat close to what it should have been. Sometimes the playing human thing seemed to get harder the longer he was a Heartless.

The race didn't interest X too much. It was just people driving in a circle and you could really only watch a small part of the competition.

At the end of the race, Terra was the victor. A large cat-like creature wearing a dark suit of some kind was extremely angered by this, for whatever reason. X wondered if this was the one who needed to be put in his place.

"My kart musta sprung a spring! You yahoos just wait, next time, I'll clobber all of you!" The cat said angrily. Before anyone could argue he jumped into his kart and drove away. X thought it was a miracle the kart didn't break.

"Yippee! I hope he's gone for good. Nobody's going to vote for a weasel like you, Pete!" The black nosed chipmunk yelled. X tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"What's all that about?" X asked.

"Chip means the Million Dreams Award. It's a very popular part of our Dream Festival. Everyone in town votes for who we think is the most exemplary citizen." The queen answered. X nodded in understanding, glancing at Terra who stood beside him.

"And since everybody knows how much of a troublemaker Pete is, he probably figured wearin a disguise was the only way he'd get any votes." The chipmunk with a black nose, who was apparently Chip, said.

"No votes, no prize!" The other chipmunk said.

"Yeah, the prize is all he really wants anyway. He doesn't care about bein a good citizen." Chip said bitterly.

"Oh, I think that's very sad. The award is supposed to help us appreciate how much we all look out for each other every day." The queen said sadly. Terra frowned at her words.

"Well, one thing I know for sure. I'm votin for Terra! Your racing really saved the day against those monster karts!" Chip said happily, turning to face Terra. Terra looked at them in shock.

"Hip-hip-hurray for Terra!" The other chipmunk cheered. X chuckled glancing at Terra yet again.

"I think they like you," X commented. Terra smiled down at X and shook his head, laughing softly.

"Well, I got something out of it too. I learned that you don't always have to bend the rules to reach your goals." Terra said. X pretended to smile. That was by far the most overrated thing he had heard. But based on the queen's happy laugh it probably wasn't the best thing to say. "All this time, I've been staring into the darkness. But, that doesn't mean I have to jump in." Terra said in a whisper.

X and Terra said their goodbyes and left the group to go to the outside the town. X stood staring up at the sky with his hands behind his head.

"Hey X," Terra said, catching X's attention. X looked at him in question. He motioned with his hand for Terra to continue. "Do you ever regret accepting the darkness?" Terra asked. X looked away, trying very hard not to scoff. He still couldn't believe Terra trusted every word he said.

"I guess sometimes," X said softly. Terra tilted his head to the side.

"Only sometimes?" Terra asked. X shrugged and walked away, moving his hands to his pockets. He looked up to the sky again.

"Even though I miss having a heart, and everything that came with it. I'll admit being a Heartless has its advantages at times. The darkness can do some pretty cool stuff." X said looking over at Terra. He was frowning, thinking over X's words.

"But the darkness is dangerous," Terra said.

"No more dangerous than the light," X said with a shrug. Terra frowned at X in confusion. X supposed he had never heard it suggested that the light was dangerous.

"But light isn't dangerous. It only helps others." Terra insisted stepping towards X. X only sighed and shook his head. Such a shame Eraqus had brainwashed his pupils.

"Anything can be dangerous if used the wrong way. Light is what started the ancient keyblade war, darkness was just a by-product." X explained, glancing back to Terra. "Not to mention light created darkness in the first place." He added.

Terra looked confused, clearly fighting with himself. What X said defied his teaching. A little and more and X was certain he would fall into the darkness. Right where they needed him. X smirked as he looked up at the sky again.

"In the end light is a beautiful lie, and darkness the painful truth," X whispered so quietly Terra hardly heard him.


	18. Chapter XVII

**Chapter XVII; Burn Bright**

Ven and Y walked into the strange town, looking around in wonder. It was a bright cheery town. Y didn't see anything remotely like an Unversed within sight. There weren't any people either. The town just seemed empty. But not a sad kind of empty, if that made any sense. Y didn't really understand it herself, but that was all she could think of to describe the town.

Very suddenly a large humanoid cat- uh, maybe- jumped in front of Ven and Y. Y stopped suddenly and gripped Ven's arm in surprise.

"Tada! Wearin' the mask of peace and hope comes the fearless defender and hero of this town! It is me- Captain Justice!" The cat thing said. Y looked to Ven out of the corner of her eye. If this was the town's hero she was very worried about the town overall.

"Huh? Umm..." Ven said, turning to look at Y. Y shrugged in response to the look.

"Young couple! Do my hero-senses detect that you got troubles? Just say the word, and Captain Justice will make all your problems disappear!" Captain Justice said. Y felt her face flush as she looked down to the ground.

"We're not a couple! We're just friends!" Y objected. Ven laughed nervously and nodded in agreement.

"Anyway, we're just trying to make some friends-" He said. He trailed off looking at Y, who still wasn't looking at him. "Never mind, forget it."

"Don't be intimidated by my magnificence. Go on and spit it out." Captain Justice said. Y turned a cold glare towards him. Oddly enough he wasn't affected like others normally would be. "Then, remember to vote Captain J." He added.

"Vote?" Ven asked, tipping his head to the side.

"Oh! Well, uh, forget that. How can I help? That's the only reason I'm here." Captain Justice said. Y frowned and crossed her arms.

"A likely story." Y said in disbelief. Ven nudged her side gently.

"Tell us about your town. Everything's so festive. Is it always like this?" Ven asked. Y smiled softly at him. Trust Ven to come up with something like that. This cat thing was clearly trouble, but Ven was still humoring him.

"Huh? That's it- nothin' else?" Captain Justice asked. Ven nodded. "Well, the festivities are on account of the Dream Festival- which is why I've made sure there's carnival stuff all over town." He continued. Y frowned glancing around. She didn't see any carnival type things. Her homeworld held a festival yearly, and then the city was filled to the brim with attractions.

"Really? Like what?" Ven asked excitedly.

"Ho ho, you gotta see it for yourself. Wouldn't be much of a dream if I just told ya." Captain Justice answered. Ven nodded again.

"Right. Thanks." He said.

"Don't you kids go forgettin', Captain Justice is the one who solved all your problems. That would be Justice with a J." Captain Justice said. Y rolled her eyes.

"No, I thought it was spelled with a G." Y said sarcastically. Ven nudged her again.

"Sure, we got it, Captain Justice," Ven said. The cat ran off seconds later, hearing a duck child complain about something or another.

"He was totally making most of that up." Y said the moment Captain Justice was gone. She looked at Ven calmly. He nodded putting his hands behind his head.

"Yeah, probably. But hey, it's a festival. That could be fun." Ven said, smiling brightly. Y couldn't help but smile in return. Ven's lightheartedness was almost contagious. But Y supposed that was a good thing. Things would be a lot harder if they were constantly worrying.

Y wondered how much of that lightheartedness was just a front.

Y and Ven wandered into the next portion of the town, the same direction Captain Justice had run off in. They didn't see very many townsfolk yet again. But those they did see were basically animals that acted human. Y wasn't sure what was going on here, but she was reminded of the Mouse she and Aqua had met in Radiant Garden.

"I wonder if this is where Mickey came from." Ven said suddenly. Y blinked in surprise and looked at him curiously.

"Mickey?" She asked. That had been the name of the mouse that had helped them. It would have been odd for them to have both met this mouse. Y was suddenly very curious about the mouse.

"He helped me out when X and the masked boy attacked me." Ven said. Y nodded slowly, biting her lip without thinking about it. Any mention of her brother and that masked boy worried her. She wasn't sure which worried her more. Her brother who had changed far too much for it to be normal, or the masked boy who told her her friends would die. "Are you ok?" Ven asked, seeing Y's turmoil.

"Fine, I'm just really worried. The masked boy, he said a lot of strange things whenever I've seen him." Y said. Ven looked at her curiously.

"What sort of things?" He asked. Y shrugged.

"Stuff about my light dying and fading away," Y whispered, hoping Ven wouldn't be able to hear her. "And, stuff about you guys dying." She added. Ven looked at her surprised.

"He said kinda similar stuff to me. Stuff about Terra changing." Ven said. "But it doesn't matter, because your light isn't going to fade. It burns too bright for that. Even the Master said so." He continued. Y nodded slowly. Master Eraqus had always said she had a strong light, even when compared to her fellow pupils. But that didn't mean it couldn't burn itself out.

"He's human under his mask." Y said suddenly. Ven looked at her surprised. He didn't know why she would bring that up. "I broke it during a fight. He looks just like anyone else. I wonder if that's why X trusts him."

"But X doesn't. They looked like they had been having a huge fight when I saw them. X was hurt badly." Ven said in confusion. Y laughed softly and shook her head. She knew it would be confusing to anyone else. No one knew her brother like her. No one else saw his tells.

"He was acting. He trusts that boy. He's on his side." Y said, frowning. "I wonder if he thinks he needs salvation too." She whispered. Ven tilted his head to the side yet again.

"What was that?" Ven asked. Y quickly shook her head.

"Nothing. Let's just check out this festival." She said, smiling and taking hold of Ven's arm. Ven smiled back at her, despite knowing she was just smiling to keep from becoming any sadder. There was only so much Y could take in a day.

The pair found themselves in the company of three duck children, Captain Justice, and a mouse dressed as a queen. They were gathered around a machine of some kind. Y guessed from the decor it was an ice cream machine. It was either broken, or no one knew how to work it.

"Well, if it ain't the last kids Captain Justice saved. 'Fraid you'll have to get in line. I'm working on another catastrophe here for these fellas- Huey, Dewey, and Louie, my good friends." Captain Justice said upon seeing Ven and Y. Y only rolled her eyes.

"Now, I'd hardly call it a catastrophe." The queen mouse said.

"Yeah, all we were tryin' to do was make our own special recipe ice cream." The duck in red said. Y was just going to guess his name was Huey since that was who Captain Justice had motioned to when he had said the name. But with Captain Justice's lack of concern Y suspected he could have very well messed it up.

"And we had a little trouble." The one in blue, Dewey Y hoped, said.

"Come on, it's not really that big a deal." The last one, Louie, said. Captain Justice just ignored them.

"I'm 100% positive, you're the victims of sabotage!" Captain Justice said. Y was saved objecting by the duck children around them.

"Not even close! Quit makin' stuff up." Dewey said.

"It's just the ice cream machine." Louie continued for his brother.

"Unca Scrooge left it for us, but we can't figure out how it works 'cause it's so complicated." Huey finished.

"Aw, we're sorry, Queen Minnie. We wanted you to be the first to try our special recipe ice cream." Dewey said sadly. Y felt a strong urge to hug the poor child, but she fought it. Most didn't respond to her random bursts of affection well.

"Oh boys, it was very sweet of you to think of me." Minnie said kindly.

"We tried." Louie said in defeat.

"Say no more. Leave it to me- one bowl of ice cream comin' right up!" Captain Justice said, stepping towards the machine.

"You're just gonna make a mess. Leave it alone, Pete!" Dewey snapped. Y didn't know for sure, but she suspected that was Captain Justice's real name. It seemed much more realistic.

"That's Captain Justice!" Pete snapped in reply and proceeded to try and fix the ice cream machine. Y decided that if it wasn't broken before, it was definitely broken now.

After several moments of failure, Pete gave up.

"This machine is busted. It just needs a good poundin'." Pete said as he hit the machine a few times.

"It does not!" Minnie said. Y jumped in surprise hearing her voice raise at all.

"Think we could take a look at it?" Ven asked stepping forward.

"No, if Captain Justice can't fix it, there ain't nothin' you kids can do." Pete replied before anyone else could. Ven shrugged.

"Maybe not, but there's no harm in trying," Ven said. Y smiled at his optimism. They could always break it worse. Not that that was likely.

"Yeah!" Huey agreed. "And better you than him. Here ya go. These are the directions for the machine." He said, handing them the directions. Y took the directions and skimmed over them. She paced around the machine and pressed a few buttons quickly bringing the machine to life.

A few minutes later Y and Ven had successfully used the machine to create the ice cream the three ducks had been trying to make.

"Mm, how yummy. What a wonderful treat! I don't think I've ever had such a delicious ice cream. Thank you-" Minnie began, but stopped realizing she didn't know Ven or Y's name.

"He's Ven, I'm Y." Y provided with a smile.

"Well, thank you, Ven, Y." Minnie said, returning Y's smile.

"Way to go!" Huey congratulated them.

"I see, we had to push this thingamajig the other way." Louie said looking at a button on the machine.

"Hey, I just got an idea! We could let our customers make up their own favorite flavors of ice cream!" Dewey said suddenly. Y liked that idea. it would be a lot of fun.

"Not with that machine!" Pete objected. "Well, the kids mighta got it to work this one time. But junk like that needs to get junked!" He continued. Y took a deep breath to keep herself calm. This guy was really starting to get on her nerves.

"Don't you dare, Pete!" Minnie said firmly.

"Fine. But Captain Justice will return!" Pete said before running off.

"I hope I never have to see him again." Y said to no one in particular. She heard several laughs, one of which belonging to Ven.

"About him, you said his name is Pete?" Ven asked, turning to Minnie. Minnie nodded.

"Yeah, he's the biggest troublemaker in town!" Huey said, answering for the queen.

"I bet he's just callin' himself, Captain Justice, 'cause he wants to win the Million Dreams Award." Dewey said. Y and Ven exchanged a confused look. Y shrugged, prompting Ven to turn back to the town's inhabitants.

"What's the Million Dreams Award?" Ven asked.

"That's one of the Dream Festival events," Minnie explained. "Everyone votes for who they think is the town's most exemplary citizen." She continued.

"Now the vote thing makes sense." Y said offhandedly. Ven nodded in agreement, not even looking at her.

"And if ya win the award, ya get a really cool prize!" Louie said excitedly.

"Oh, it's just a small token, nothing elaborate," Minnie said modestly. "The event is supposed to help us appreciate how much we all look out for each other every day. That's the spirit of the award." She continued, sounding almost disappointed. Y couldn't blame her with people like Pete around.

"That sounds nice." Y said.

"Pete just wants to get his grubby hands on the prize," Huey said angrily.

"And he knows that nobody's gonna vote for him if he puts his own name on the ballot!" Dewey added.

"But nobody's fooled!" Louie said.

"Yeah!" His brothers agreed together. The three of them began laughing.

"Wish somebody was looking out for us," Ven said wistfully.

"Somebody is." Y said quickly, not thinking for a second. Someone had to be, right?


	19. Chapter XVIII

**Chapter XVIII; A True Hero**

Y didn't know much about the world they landed in next. Which wasn't unusual, as most worlds were completely different and they had no way to have gained previous knowledge. But this world seemed even more different than normal. It was a city made up of white buildings. The few people around were wearing sheets. The center of the city seemed to be an arena of some kind.

Y and Ven wandered the city aimlessly. They hadn't seen any Unversed, which wasn't strange. Unversed would remain hidden until forced to reveal themselves often times. Unfortunately, it made things very boring for Y and Ven. They couldn't do anything until they found the Unversed.

Very suddenly a small fat man with the lower half of a goat ran past Ven and Y. The goat man paused by a wall, panting heavily. Ven looked at Y curiously. She only shrugged and led the way closer to the goat man.

"Oy, the kid's relentless." The goat man muttered to himself as Y and Ven drew even closer. Ven looked at Y once again. Y shrugged and motioned toward the goat man in offering.

"Hey, whatcha doin' there?" Ven asked. The little goat man jumped up in surprise and fear, not even turning to look at who had spoken before he started yelling at Ven.

"I told ya, I'm booked solid. N-O spells forget it." He yelled.

"Uhh?" Ven said in confusion. He looked at Y once again. Y shrugged, looking at the goat man in question.

"Someone's jumpy." Y said in confusion. The goat man finally turned to look at them. Realization seemed to hit him suddenly, that these two were not the one he was running from. His expression quickly changed from one of shock to one of annoyance.

"Huh? And who in Halicarnassus are you? Can't you see I'm busy?" The goat man asked in annoyance. Y frowned and crossed her arms. She opened her mouth to speak but stopped when a scrawny boy with orange-ish hair came running up to the group.

"Hey, Phil! I'm all signed up! Phil!" He said, very loudly. The goat man who apparently went by Phil panicked as the boy called out to him.

"All right, Herc, I hear ya! Now would you keep it down already." Phil said, looking around in panic. Y glanced around herself. She saw a boy wearing armor with a silver helmet on looking around. The moment his bright blue eyes landed on Phil he smiled.

"Aha!" The boy said. He ran over to the group, making Phil sigh heavily. He glared over at the scrawny boy labeled as Herc.

"Beautiful... You happy now? You blew my cover!" Phil said in clear annoyance. The soldier stopped in front of Phil, looking excited. He seemed to contain a lot of energy that shone through his eyes with ease.

"Okay, fess up. I asked around, and everybody says you're the guy. The trainer of heroes!" The soldier boy said. Herc smiled in agreement, taking a slight step forward despite the glare he was receiving from Phil.

"True heroes!" He supplied proudly. Must have been bragging rights, having him as a mentor. Y wasn't sure, but she guessed that's what it was. She glanced at Ven to see him seriously considering what had been said. She realized why in a moment of thinking. He could teach true heroes.

"Really?" Y asked, turning back to Phil.

"You can teach that?" Ven asked. Excitement was barely hidden in his voice. Y supposed it would be cool. Being a hero. There weren't many women who fit the bill, so she might have to step up and fill the role with Aqua.

At the thought of Aqua, Y dropped her smile just a fraction. Aqua was probably still worrying about them. They had been kinda harsh the last time they had seen each other. Y wasn't allowed to think on it long. She was jolted out of her thoughts by the soldier boy speaking again.

"Course he can." He insisted before turning back to Phil. "C'mon, Phil, please. I really want to be a hero." He pleaded. The goat man sighed heavily in annoyance.

"Look, we've been through this," Phil said, still clearly showing his annoyance. "I got two words for you- student-teacher ratio!" Ven frowned and counted on his fingers as Phil spoke. Y smirked as she realized what Ven must have.

"One, two...Um?" Ven turned to Y in question. Y giggled softly and leaned over to Ven, covering her mouth as she whispered to him.

"If he can't count, how can he train heroes?" Y asked. Ven snickered a little and shrugged at Y. The conversation between the others continued even though Y and Ven were having their own.

"I already got my hands full with this one. C'mon Herc." Phil insisted before guiding Herc away. Y was unimpressed by that excuse. Master Eraqus had managed four pupils at once easily. This goat man was saying he could hardly manage one. Y supposed not everyone could be as great as her teacher. Her teacher that had no idea where she was or if she was ok. Y felt her smile drop again.

"I'm low-maintenance, I swear!" The soldier objected. He was ignored by the goat man and Herc. Very suddenly Unversed appeared in front of Herc and Phil. The two jumped back in surprise, clearly not expecting the appearance of monsters.

"Unversed!" Ven said, drawing his keyblade. Y followed suite moving to stand in front of Phil and Herc.

"Monsters, huh." The soldier boy said, clearly thinking of something. He drew his sword and jumped in front of Phil with Y and Ven. "Hey, Phil! Watch this! I'll show ya what I'm made of." He proclaimed. Y smiled and shook her head.

"And I'll help, too!" Herc said, stepping forward shakily. Y suspected it wouldn't take four of them to take down the Unversed, but she didn't say as much. At least they wouldn't be there for very long.

The fight didn't last long. Y took down three of the Floods with simple spells while Ven and the soldier both took out two with their respective blades. Herc seemed to struggle the entire fight, losing his balance on multiple occasions. He killed one of the Unversed by sheer chance, stumbling into it and destroying it with his apparent super strength.

"Whew! Ha-ha!" Herc laughed as he stood up from defeating the Unversed. Y was worried. If he was a hero in training, he must have been a newbie. If not, this world would end up in a sorry state.

"Uh, ok, change of plans," Phil said stepping forward. Herc and Zack both turned their attention to him. "The Games are comin' up. So, I'm gonna watch both of your matches, then I'll decide which of you rookies I wanna train." He explained.

"Sweet! Thank you, thank you! I'm gonna go sign up right now." Zack said excitedly taking off toward the Coliseum. Herc looked a little upset by this decision but didn't object right away. He seemed to be thinking over his next move.

"The Games, huh? Sounds fun!" Ven said excitedly. Y smiled and nodded.

"Yeah!" She agreed. Without a word, the two made to run toward the Coliseum.

"Sorry kids, Captain Eager there just took the last spot." Phil said. Stopping them before they could run off. They both frowned, looking at the ground. There always seemed to be an excuse as to why they couldn't do fun things.

"I don't understand! Phil, I thought you were my trainer!" Herc objected, taking Y's mind off of her own dilemma. The scrawny ginger was obviously hurt by his teacher's decision. Y couldn't blame him. It couldn't be fun, feeling abandoned by the one who was teaching you. It must have felt like failure.

"You wanna be a true hero, Herc?" Phil asked. Herc nodded quickly. "Then you're gonna hafta go out there and show me that everything I've taught you so far is gonna pay off." Phil said simply. He started walking away, going toward the Coliseum.

"But Phil," Herc pleaded. Phil stopped briefly, looking over his shoulder at Herc.

"Oh, and no more trainin' sessions for a while. Wouldn't be fair if I helped you and not him." Phil said. He continued on his way to the Coliseum paying no mind to the visibly deflated Herc. He slouched down like he was trying to disappear. Y felt bad for him. Ven glanced at Y before approaching the boy.

"Hey, cheer up! So you gotta fight a couple of matches, no big deal. I'm Ventus, and she's Y. Want us to help you train?" Ven offered. Herc looked up at them in shock. Y smiled at him and waved.

"You'd really do that for me?" Herc asked in shock.

"Sure," Ven said with a shrug. Herc smiled at him gratefully.

"Thanks, Ventus. I'm Hercules. Herc for short." Herc introduced though it was really unnecessary. The two had already guessed his name at that point.

"Just call me Ven. You're gonna do fine." Ven said. He and Herc took hold of each other's hands and shook. Y smiled off to the side with crossed arms.

"Thanks. I'm gonna head over to the Coliseum and warm up. Meet me in the vestibule, ok?" Herca asked. Ven nodded as Herc turned to head toward the Coliseum. Ven turned to Y, looking at her with innocent curiosity.

"I'm going to find that other kid. It wouldn't be fair if we both help Herc." Y said simply. Ven frowned and nodded. He turned to go follow Herc. Y sighed before heading that same direction. She had nowhere better to start looking for the soldier boy.

Luckily, Y didn't have to go all the way to the Coliseum before she found the soldier boy. He was outside of the Coliseum down a side road sparring with the air. Y thought that was a strange method of training, but it was amusing to watch.

"Hey, you want some help?" Y asked cheerfully as she approached the boy. He stopped swinging his blade and turned to Y with a curious look.

"Huh? Weren't you with that blonde guy?" He asked. Y nodded in reply.

"Yup." She confirmed. She held her hand out to the boy. "I'm Y. Ven is helping Herc, so I figured we'd keep it fair and I'd help you." The blonde explained. She smiled brightly once again. The boy laughed and took her hand.

"That's great! I'm Zack." He said, smiling as brightly as Y. Y laughed a little to herself.

"Alright Zack, let's get started." She said.

Zack turned out to be really easy to train. He went along with anything Y said. He gave helpful suggestions and didn't take criticism to heart. He was fun to spar with too. A decent challenge compared to the small fry Unversed Y had been dealing with for so long. It was a nice change of pace.

Y left Zack a little before the match was set to begin. She wanted to go find Ven and Herc before the Games to see how they were doing. She arrived at the Coliseum to find Ven and Herc in a conversation. She didn't get to hear any of it as they were finishing the conversation when she joined them.

"How's it going you two?" Y asked cheerfully as she stopped beside Ven. Herc looked up at her and gave a nervous smile. Y smiled in return, hoping his nerves would clear some.

"Great. How'd it go with him?" Ven asked, turning his full attention to Y as he spoke. Y laughed a little, glancing over her shoulder as Zack entered the area.

"Better than I thought. He's got a lot of energy." Y admitted, looking back to Ven. Ven nodded, looking over at the soldier. Phil entered from the Coliseum, looking between Zack and Herc.

"All right, you bunch of rookies. It's time we go over the rules of the Games, so listen up." Phil said. Zack and Herc quickly turned their attention to him, hanging onto his every word. "All the matches are divided into two brackets- one for the East and one for the West. The winners from each bracket go head-to-head in the championship match. Now, I signed you two up for the West... 'cause they already got a heavy-hittin' contender cleanin' up over there in the East bracket. And if you wanna beat him, you're gonna hafta hustle in there. Now move those sandals." Phil explained. Herc and Zack nodded. The three of them headed into the Coliseum leaving Y and Ven standing together.

"Heavy-hitting contender?" Ven asked. He looked at Y with a thoughtful frown.

"Wonder who it is." Y said with an equally thoughtful expression. She wasn't sure about people in this world, so maybe it could be one of them. Or perhaps it was someone from another world. Maybe Terra, or Aqua, or even the masked boy, Vanitas, as X had called him.

"Ven! Y! C'mon!" Herc's voice called from the Coliseum disrupting Y's thoughts.

"Oh. Ok!" Ven called before going into the Coliseum. Y followed after him.

The games went on for some time. Y and Ven watched from the stands, cheering on their friends. Herc did surprisingly well. He was much more in control of his attacks. Training with Ven must have really helped him. Zack did well, too. He was obviously having fun as he fought his way through the rounds of Unversed. How Unversed got in the Games Y had no idea.

The semi-finals turned into just what they had planned, Zack against Herc. While preparing for the match Ven went to talk to Herc while Y crossed the arena to Zack.

"You're doing great. I think you might actually stand a chance." Y said cheerfully as she approached him. Zack laughed, turning to look at Y with a smile.

"Thanks. Gotta admit you're help has really done a lot." He said. Y smiled cheerfully.

"Hey, it's what friends are for." She said. Zack nodded in agreement.

"Yeah." He said. He glanced to Ven and Herc before walking over to them. Y frowned before following him.

"Whoever wins, no hard feelings." Zack said, holding his hand out to Herc. Herc smiled and shook his hand.

"Course not. Holdin' a grudge wouldn't be very heroic." Herc said.

"Hey, just making sure. You're not a hero yet." Zack said with a laugh. Herc laughed along with him.

"True." He agreed.

The match started soon after that exchange. Y was impressed. Herc and Zack were very close. It was almost like watch Terra and Aqua spar all over again.

"This is really close." Ven commented. Y had the feeling he was thinking the same as her.

"Yeah, they're really close in skill level. I wonder how Phil's going to pick." Y said. Just as she spoke the goat man came running into the arena.

"Hey! We got trouble! There's monsters loose in town and if they gate-crash the Games, you can forget about the match." Phil yelled. Zack and Herc stopped mid fight, while Y and Ven jumped to their feet.

"Real monsters?" Herc asked nervously.

"We have to stop 'em." Zack said. He looked rather determined. Ven glanced at Y, and without thinking she nodded. They were too busy to handle the Unversed. The first one of them to leave the arena would be forfeit.

"Leave the monsters to us. This match is too important!" Ven yelled before taking off.

"We'll be back!" Y called before taking off after Ven. She thought she heard the sounds of protesting, but she didn't pay any mind to it. If they didn't finish their match she was going to beat the both of them.

As the pair reached the town they drew their keyblades. Y spun around looking for the Unversed that was causing a problem. She found what looked like one Unversed something like a jellyfish. She couldn't think of a better way to describe it.

"You won't get past us! Huh?!" Ven said as an entire swarm of the same type of Unversed arrived. There had to be hundreds of them, if not it was nearing a thousand.

"We're going to need more people." Y said breathlessly. Just as she said that Herc came running up beside them, his fists raised as he prepared to fight. Y was at first relieved, but quickly realized that Herc had just thrown the match.

"Herc! What about your match?" Ven asked. Herc brushed off his concern.

"Forget the match. No way I could let my friends fight alone. 'Cause I'm a hero! I mean, ya know... I'm gonna be one. Come on, let's fight this together!" He said. Y smiled a little before shooting forward into the mass of Unversed.

Quickly Y was lost in the sea of Unversed. She could hear Ven and Herc, so she knew they were ok. All the same she would cast cure every so often to be sure they were at full capacity. She didn't know if the boys noticed or not, but they weren't unconscious yet, so that was an upside.

The mass of Unversed slowly dwindled down to nothing. Y glanced to both boys who looked surprisingly good for having been just surrounded by Unversed. Y herself was out of breath. Her magic was drained and she had several scratches. It sucked being the healer sometimes. She never had time to heal herself, she was too worried about other party members.

"Sorry that I made you lose that match, Herc." Ven said turning toward Herc. Herc just smiled and brushed it off.

"Aw, come on, you don't have to apologize. It was totally my decision." Herc said. Y smiled at the scrawny boy. She gasped suddenly as she spotted an Unversed coming up behind him at an alarming speed. She couldn't cast a spell without risking hitting Herc. Ven noticed it as well, but he couldn't move fast enough.

Before the Unversed could reach Herc, Zack cut it down.

"What, you didn't save any for me?" Zack asked, straightening his posture and placing a hand on his hip. Y rolled her eyes and grinned.

"Not our fault you're late." She said, mimicking his posture. Herc looked at Zack in shock. Y assumed he didn't think the soldier would have followed them.

"You're here?" Herc asked.

"Hey, I've set my sights on being a hero, too. I just don't run as fast, that's all." Zack said, looking away nervously. Y laughed at his reaction. It was probably because of the armor he wore.

"So you both threw the match? Who won, then?" Ven asked curiously. Herc and Zack shared a confused look. They probably hadn't thought that far ahead. They seemed to be lacking in the brains department.

"I left first, so it's not me." Herc said. Zack frowned.

"Yeah, but I was only seconds behind you." He argued.

"Still." Herc said.

"Hey!" Phil said loudly as he walked over to the group. They turned their attention to the goat man. "I never said I'd coach the winner. All I said was I'd see the match, then decide. Look, bein' a hero takes more than just muscle. Ya gotta have heart and care about people. And sure, you both get high marks for that. But this time, only one of you cared fast enough-and that makes all the difference." He explained. Y nodded glancing over to the two competitors.

"Then that means..." Ven said.

"Oh man, I was this close! Uhh..." Zack complained. He brightened up rather quickly. "Well, that's life. I never really introduced myself." He said looking to Ven and Herc. He took off his helmet, revealing messy black hair "The names Zack. Congratulations, Herc." He said with a smile.

"Thanks, Zack." Herc said.

"Yeah well, we'll see if you're still thankin' him when I'm through with ya. You got a long road ahead of ya, champ." Phil said. Herc smiled nervously. Zack sighed and started to crouch and stand again in quick succession. Y didn't understand the purpose, but she decided not to question it.

"Hey- don't count me out. I've still got plenty of big dreams to go with my lousy luck!" Zack said spiritedly. Y frowned and crossed her arms watching Zack with amusement.

"Is that supposed to help your case?" Y asked. Zack and Herc both laughed. Y smiled to herself as she noticed Ven approach Phil.

"Ok, be honest... you weren't really gonna stop training Herc, were you?" Ven asked Phil in a quiet voice. Y joined the two, leaning on Ven's shoulder looking at Phil.

"Of course not. I know that kid's gonna go the distance. But he was stuck in a rut. He just needed a little incentive. It's Ventus, right? Well, thanks to you, Herc here has really shaped up. I owe ya." Phil replied. He was smiling softly, which Y figured was rare. Phil seemed a little harsh most of the time.

"Nah, I'm glad. I made a really good friend. Somebody to share a laugh with." Ven said. He looked up, glancing up. Y could easily tell he was thinking. "Like Terra and Aqua... We'll patch things up." Ven said softly. Y smiled and took hold of Ven's hand.

"Of course we will." She said encouragingly. Ven nodded in return and turned to wander off. He didn't let go of Y's hand.

"You're leaving?" Herc asked, seeing the two heading off.

"Yeah. Our journey's not over yet." Ven answered.

"But you'll visit, right?" Herc asked hopefully. Ven and Y exchanged a look. Y shrugged with a soft smile. If Master Eraqus ever let them leave home again when they got back it would be a miracle. They were going to be grounded forever.

"We'll stop by once you're a true hero." Ven decided, turning back to Herc.

"Stop by once me and him are both heroes!" Zack said excitedly. Y laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Oh, so you mean never come back?" She asked sarcastically.

"Hey, watch it!" Zack objected as the group erupted into laughter.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Once again I want to thank all my reviewers. Especially those who point out the flaws in my writing, it helps a lot in the process. Thanks so much!_**


	20. Chapter XIX

**Chapter XIX; Games of Darkness**

X was almost impressed with the next world he and Terra stopped in. It had architecture that X had never seen before, and it actually looked interesting. The buildings were all white and columns. X got a feeling the world was trapped in a time from long before other worlds. But it wasn't bad. In fact, if X had a heart, he might have called it beautiful.

X lost his focus when he saw a scrawny ginger boy fighting a group of Unversed. The boy was clearly strong, he was actually accomplishing something against the Unversed. But he didn't have a clue what he was doing. His fighting was sloppy and hardly worthy of being called fighting. It wasn't long until he was knocked down.

X gently nudged Terra and nodded towards the boy. Terra quickly stepped in when he saw the situation. X had expected as much. Terra was still clinging to his light after all. Light tended to make people play hero.

"Stay back." Terra ordered. The scrawny boy nodded and watched in awe as Terra took on the Unversed. X crouched beside the boy, looking him over for damage. He was a bit scratched up, but relatively unharmed. X must have underestimated his fighting ability. X murmured a healing spell, ridding the boy of his scratches.

As soon as the Unversed were gone Terra turned his attention back to X and the boy. Terra looked surprised to see X crouched beside the boy. He took a moment to look over the ginger, and looked even more surprised when he saw the injuries he once had were gone.

"You ok?" Terra asked the boy. He looked at Terra almost dazed.

"Huh? Yeah, thanks." He answered. He allowed Terra to help him up, casting a glance at X. X stood with them, watching in his usual silence. "Guess they were too much for me. I'm just gonna have to train harder. You're pretty tough- you really handled those things. Are you here for the Games?" The boy asked. X tilted his head to the side in interest.

"What games?" Terra asked in confusion. The boy laughed as if that were a stupid question. X guessed these games were a pretty big deal in this world.

"The _Games_ games. To see who's the strongest! One day I'm gonna win 'em all and become a true hero." The boy explained enthusiastically. X wasn't sure how winning any game would make someone a hero, but he had heard stranger things from other worlds.

"Herc, where are you? Front and center right now, or I'm tackin' on another 1,00 laps!" A voice yelled out. The boy turned toward it quickly. The voice appeared to belong to a satyr.

"Uh-oh. Gotta go. The Coliseum's just up ahead. I hope to get to see you fight there sometime!" He said before quickly running over to the small satyr. X turned his attention away from the boy back to Terra. The brunette was lost in thought.

"A competition." Terra said.

"It could be useful. Can see your true strength, and what not." X suggested with a shrug. Terra looked at X for a moment before nodding in agreement. He began walking the direction the boy had indicated. X followed shortly, looking over the town. He frowned suddenly getting a feeling. Y was in town.

X reached the Coliseum a moment after Terra. He had been looking around for his sister as they had walked through town. Luckily he hadn't seen her. He expected she would be alone at this point. Aqua had probably tried to force her to go home. But knowing Y she hadn't listened.

"This is it." Terra said calmly.

"How sad is this?" A voice asked.

"Huh?" Terra asked, turning to find the voice. X followed his gaze, quickly finding a man with blue skin wearing a black sheet as clothing. His head was literally on fire, the blue flames seeming to make up his hair.

"Pains me to see it." The man continued.

"Huh?" Terra repeated. The man wasn't really making much sense. He was looking at Terra with interest though. X suspected he was up to something that wouldn't end well. For him anyway.

"All that power going to waste." The man said.

"Who are you?" Terra asked. Sighed and leaned against a wall, waiting for the conversation to take it's course. The man approached Terra, seeming very proud.

"Name is Hades, Lord of the Dead, god of the Underworld, yadda yadda, how ya doin'." The man introduced himself. X raised an eyebrow looking over the man, well god. He didn't seem like that much. "Hey, lemme guess, you're trying to put the kibosh on the darkness inside you. Am I right? Of course I'm right. Well, anyway, bad idea." Hades continued on.

"Wait, what?" Terra asked in confusion.

"I think he says you shouldn't get rid of the darkness inside of you." X explained. It was difficult to follow Hades. He had a strange way of phrasing things. Terra glanced at X and nodded in appreciation before looking back at Hades.

"Ok, stay with me here-darkness is inside...everybody." Hades continued, hoping to elaborate himself better. "Nothing to be ashamed of. You play nice with it, and darkness will be your best friend. Your buddy with you can agree I'm sure." He said glancing over to X. X nodded calmly. "But if you go and get all self-conscious and refuse to face it, the darkness will run over you like a debutante at a toga sale. And then where are you? Nowhere. Now me, I look at you and I see potential. That's right, kid. You got the potential to conquer the darkness inside you. And I'll even give you some pointers. I mean, believe me, if anybody knows conquering, I know conquering." Hades continued on, seeming to ramble by the end. X was certain he liked listening to himself talk. There was no other reason for him to spend so long explaining simple concepts such as this.

"Well, let's hear it then. How do I conquer the darkness?" Terra asked.

"Easy. You sign up for the Games." Hades said. Terra rasied an eyebrow in disbelief. "I know, I know. "Please, Lord Hades, the Games?" But hey, you would be surprised what you can learn in the heat of battle. And don't worry. I'll be right there to guide you every step of the way. I'm kinda what you'd call an expert in the darkness. Oh, decide fast. This is a limited-time offer." Hades continued on before Terra could object. He walked a short distance away, giving Terra and X room to discuss. Terra turned to X immediately.

"What do you think X?" Terra asked. X glanced over to the God who was inspecting his nails.

"I think that guy likes the sound of his own voice." X said simply turning his attention back to Terra. The brunette frowned looking at X like a child that needed to be scolded.

"X." Terra said in warning. X put his hands up quickly, in defense.

"Ok, sorry. I don't know." X admitted. Having never been to this world he had no way of knowing anything about the god. "He might know what he's talking about, but I can't be sure. You might as well give it a try. If he's lying, we'll deal with that later." X reasoned. Terra nodded and approached the god.

"When are you going to tell me how to conquer the darkness?" Terra demanded. X sighed heavily and shook his head. Terra was really in need of some lessons in manners. Even if it was obviously someone who was up to no good.

"Hold your chariot horses," Hades said. A quill and parchment paper appeared in front of Hades. He took hold of the quill and turned to Hades. "You would not believe the bureaucracy involved with these things. Name?" Hades asked.

"Terra." The brunette replied.

"Kinda earthy, all right." Hades said as he wrote down the name. X groaned in exasperation. "Now height and weight." He said glancing to Terra. He wrote something down without waiting for Terra to reply. "What's this? Favorite god? Pfft, come on. Hades. There, ba-boom. easy peasy." Hades continued, vanishing the parchment away. He turned back to Terra with a false smile. "I sense that you're already starting to get all warm and fuzzy with that darkness inside you. It's sweet, really. And hey, by the time you win the final match here...you'll have figured out how to conquer it for good. And don't worry, anything goes wrong, I'll make it all go away. Service with a smile." He said. Terra nodded.

"I got it." He said. Shortly afterward Terra went in for his matches and Hades disappeared. The moment the god was gone X laughed and shook his head.

"He's definitely faking it. Guess it could be funny." X said to himself. He went into the audience and seated himself close to the arena.

The matches were simple enough. X was surprised to see most of the opponents Terra faced were Unversed. How they got entered into a tournament was beyond X. Especially with the bureaucracy Hades had mentioned. X suddenly had an image of Vanitas filling out a form for a bunch of Unversed. It made him almost double over in laughter.

Terra's last match was against an actual other human. A soldier of some kind. The fight was easily decided. The soldier was much weaker than Terra. It was amazing he had made it as far as he had. X thought the Unversed should have easily defeated such a weakling. X would have to inform Vanitas his minions were slacking off.

When the soldier fell to the ground he lost his helmet, revealing a mess of black hair. Terra turned away from the boy frowning as he did so. When Terra turned his back the soldier stood, a black aura surrounding him. X looked on with interest. The boy attacked Terra suddenly, Terra barely had time to respond, but he did manage.

"Stop it! The match is over!" Terra said struggling to hold back the soldiers blade. He had suddenly gained a lot of strength. X guessed it had to do with the darkness that was surrounding him. It was a weak form of darkness, probably not the boys own. But it was enough.

"Looks like he's not a pushover anymore." X muttered to himself scanning over the arena.

"It's not me." The boy said through grit teeth. That confirmed X's thoughts.

"What?" Terra asked in confusion. X stood up and began walking around, looking for Hades. Might as well pretend to be useful to Terra. X found Hades standing off to the side watching the altercation with amusement.

"Huh? So, what do ya think? You like my new super-warrior? See- right here, this- is the power of darkness. Coulda been yours. Still could, if you open up to it." Hades called out to Terra as X drew closer.

"Hades! You were just playing me! The darkness...will never have me!" Terra snapped. X tuned him out after that, it wasn't important. He had to focus on the god that was actually more annoying than anyone else X had met. And X had met some annoying people.

"People really need to stop going after an already taken pawn." X said in exasperation. Hades turned his attention to the Heartless. The god narrowed his eyes at the boy, with contempt.

"Oh, think you're a big shot. Just because you opened up to the darkness already. Well, kid, I'm in a good mood right now, things are going my way, so I'll let you in on something. Your darkness, is nowhere near enough to take me down." Hades said. X laughed to himself. This god really didn't know anything about the darkness. If he did, he would know X wasn't one to fight against. His darkness was far greater than many others.

"Wow, you really do like hearing yourself talk." X said, mostly to himself. The flame on Hades' head grew in size as anger contorted his features. The flames turned red as did the god's skin.

"You disrespectful little brat. I shou-" Hades began. X cut him off by blowing on his hair. The flames sputtered out, causing more rage to cross the god's face.

"Especially about things you don't even understand." X said with a laugh. Hades turned red yet again.

"Who do you think you are?! I'm the Lord of the Dead! If anyone knows darkness, I do. I'm practically the god of darkness to boot!" Hades yelled. X laughed darkly again.

"Oh you wish." X said. X looked up at Hades with narrowed eyes. The purple color slowly faded into bright yellow. A dark aura began to seep off of his skin, filling the air with a heavy feeling. Hades stepped back in fear. X rarely showed his power, what he was capable of. He had some feeling, a voice in the back of his head that always said it was a bad idea. That wasn't what his darkness was for.

Hades cowered back in fear. He recovered quickly, trying to act unafraid.

"Looks like I bet on the wrong dark horse." Hades said before vanishing into thin air. X sighed and allowed the darkness in the area to fade away. He walked back to Terra and Zack who were in the middle of the arena.

"Thanks, Terra. I'm Zack." The boy introduced himself. "Yup. Definitely. Terra, you're exactly what I pictured a hero would be. Not the way you look... There's something else about you." Zack said. X looked over Terra in interest. X didn't think heroes really existed, and if he did, he didn't know what he thought they would look like.

"Well, I'm no hero, trust me." Terra said with a laugh.

"You kidding? Listen to those cheers, man. You don't get to decide if you're a hero or not. They do. And they've already made up their mind. Whether you like it or not, you're their hero." Zack said. He tapped Terra's shoulder in a friendly way. "And mine, too. It's too bad. I really wanted to fight you fair and square." Terra laughed gently and tapped Zack's shoulder just as Zack had done to him.

"Maybe someday, Zack." Terra said. Zack laughed.

Terra and X wandered away from Zack preparing to head out.

"Where were you?" Terra asked.

"Looking for Hades, see if I could teach him a lesson." X answered casually. Terra tilted his head to the side.

"Did you find him?" Terra asked. X shook his head without a thought.

"No, he must have run when you and Zack went at it again." X explained, smoothly lying. Terra didn't need to know about the confrontation.

"Oh, what do you think of his whole speech now? Any of it true?" Terra asked, trying to make it seem like a joke.

"Not for everyone. Sometimes the darkness just isn't a good match. But bottling it up isn't good. Ever." X answered honestly. Terra nodded in understanding, a frown crossing his face. Of course. He was still so untrusting of the darkness.

X's gut instinct told him that was the right move.


	21. Chapter XX

**Chapter XX; Theirs Alone**

X had always found the lanes between kind of boring. They were colorful, sure. And the lights would blur in a kinda cool way. But it was all the same kind of thing, over and over, and over. The only mildly interesting thing X had was Terra. But Terra had been quiet the entire time they had been in the lanes between this time. X supposed Hades had shaken him, somehow.

X glanced at Terra to see him looking at an orange star shaped charm. X leaned forward to get a better look at it. He guessed it was important to him, but he couldn't remember seeing it before. But it looked something like a Thalassa charm that people in X's world would make when they were at the beach. Wayfinders, according to some.

"Are you ok?" X asked. Terra jolted from his thoughts, lowering the charm. He glanced over at X. The blonde Heartless had his head tilted to the side in question.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine." Terra replied. He looked forward again as X frowned. He was obviously not fine. If Terra wasn't careful he would lose his heart before it was time. He'd turn into a Heartless. That wouldn't be good.

X was jolted from his thoughts when he saw a large swarm of Unversed. X blinked a few times to be sure he was seeing things correctly. When the swarm didn't vanish with a blink he decided it wasn't a hallucination.

"All the way out here?" Terra asked in surprise. X only shrugged before carefully positioning himself on the back of Terra's glider. It would difficult for them both to fight out here, but they had to try. A group of Unversed that large wouldn't let them pass without a fight.

X had no idea how they managed the fight. Even more, he had no clue how he managed to remain on the back of the glider during the fight. The jellyfish-like Unversed were more obnoxious than anything. They were easily killed by the glider running into them. X was throwing his daggers at them. Even such a weak attack one shot the Unversed. X could only assume Vanitas was just making these Unversed to be annoying.

Once the Unversed were gone X and Terra looked around to ensure there were no more hanging around. X froze seeing a spaceship of some kind above them. They were pulled toward the ship suddenly. X tried to fight against it, but he couldn't get away. X lost consciousness before they reached the ship.

X woke up in a small cell laying across a bed. He sat up slowly, calmly looking around. He seemed to be pretty far up off the ground. He approached the edge of the cell where a clear panel acted as the door. X didn't know what the panel was made of. He tapped at the panel as a strange pair walked past. X didn't how to describe the two of them. He guessed the really big one reminded him of a whale. The other one was nothing like X had ever seen before.

X sighed and sat down beside the panel. He tossed his dagger into the air and watched it flip before catching it. He repeated the motion several times trying to relieve his boredom. After a few moments X heard the sound of gunshots. He glanced off to the side to see the whale guy shooting at a hoard of Unversed. X watched for just a moment before returning to throwing his dagger.

Soon after the whale guy left the holding area Terra stopped in front of X's cell. X looked at Terra from the floor calmly, continuing to toss his dagger. Terra smirked a little looking down at the Heartless.

"Comfortable?" Terra asked. X rolled his eyes as he caught his dagger for the last time.

"Now is hardly the time to be patronizing me. We have Unversed to kill." X said sarcastically. Terra laughed.

"Right." Terra agreed. He pointed his keyblade at the cell. In a flash of like the cell opened. X stood and twirled his dagger in his hand.

Terra and X took out the Unversed quickly clearing the cell bay of the creatures. Terra and X stopped in front of a cell with a very fat alien life form with four eyes. He wore what looked like a prison uniform. That seemed likely as they were in a prison.

"Very impressive display." The alien said. Terra turned to look at the alien before looking at X. X raised his eyebrows calmly. Without a word, they turned to walk away from the cell. "Wait! You help? I have been imprisoned on ridiculous charges!" The alien demanded. Terra frowned and turned back to the cell. X sighed in disbelief. The alien was in prison, he was clearly lying. Why was Terra even bothering to listen?

"Is that so?" Terra asked.

"I am an innocent scientist who created the galaxy's most destructive-uh...constructive species of all time." The alien said. X rolled his eyes, no wonder this guy got caught. He was terrible at lying. Terra, however, allowed the alien to continue. "Why, my experiment could annihilate creatures you fought so hard! He is bulletproof, fireproof, and can think faster than super computer. He can see in the dark and move objects 3,000 times his rather diminutive size. And for reasons preposterous, the federation council fear him. They take him from me and throw me here in small, stuffy, rather badly lit cell." The alien continued. X saw multiple reasons to fear that creation. But it also could be of use.

"Because he's so powerful?" Terra asked. X looked at Terra in disbelief.

"You're not actually buying what this guy is selling are you?" X asked. Terra ignored X and waited for the alien to continue his explanation.

"Exactly. Everyone always get antsy in pantses when somebody more powerful is in the neighborhood. You understand, perhaps?" The alien said. Terra didn't speak but looked down to his keyblade. X frowned looking at the blade himself. The alien must not have been as stupid as X had originally thought. "We must make to rescue him, or he'll be banished to far reaches of space!" The alien pleaded.

"Ok then. Take me to him." Terra said, looking up at the alien. X sighed heavily.

"Oh my god, you actually are," X muttered to himself. Terra didn't acknowledge if he heard X. He only pointed his key at the cell and freed the alien.

"Experiment 626. Is name I give to adorable, fluffy creature you are helping for to rescue. And I am genius scientist who created him, Dr. Jumba Jookiba." The alien introduced.

"I'm Terra. He's X." Terra said as he often did in new worlds. X nodded as his name was said, but otherwise didn't respond.

"Pleasure is all ours. 626 is this way. Hurry!" Jumba said.

The alien led Terra and X through the spaceship. X didn't know how he knew where anything was. A prisoner shouldn't have so much knowledge of his holdings. If he did he really wasn't a prisoner anymore.

The room they ended up in had a small container sort of thing with a small blue creature wearing orange clothing. The blue creature was growling and snarling at the three of them. He had six legs and antena like protrusions along his back. X slowly approached the creature in interest.

"Amazing, is he not? Such, tremendous power in such itty-bitty package. Truly, he is the one and that's the only- the mightiest creature in all of galaxy. And his only, singular instinct- to destroy everything he touches! See?" Jumba said as he worked on a panel of some kind. X assumed he was going to release the little creature. X didn't like the idea of calling him experiment 626. It made it seem like a belonging rather than a living creature.

"What?!" Terra demanded. X glanced over his shoulder at the brown haired keyblade wielder.

"Told you." X said calmly looking back to the creature. Jumba released the creature from its containment. The creature jumped onto Terra's arm quickly and crawled around the keyblade wielder for a time. It soon jumped off of Terra to the ceiling. It was holding a charm that X had seen before. The very same one Terra had been looking at moments before they had seen the Unversed that led them here.

Terra searched his pockets desperately, hoping that wasn't actually his wayfinder X guessed. He looked up at the creature with panic.

"When did you- give that back!" Terra ordered.

"Too late, is already marked for destruction." Jumba said off handedly. X frowned looking up at the creature. X decided he'd have to come up with something to call it. He didn't like calling it a creature anymore than he liked calling it a number.

"No, stop! My friend gave me that!" Terra demanded. He looked down at the floor in defeat. The creature, Blue X decided, looked at the wayfinder in interest. X supposed he had never heard the word friend before.

""Friend"? Are you joking?" Jumba asked falling over in laughing. X resisted his urge to walk over and step on the alien. "Such concept is totally lost on 626!" Jumba continued. Blue however decided to drop the wayfinder and scurry off. X went over to the wayfinder and picked it up before handing it off to Terra. Terra looked at the orange charm with a smile.

"Funny... This whole time I've been telling myself I want to be stronger, more independent... But the second I let my heart do the talking... I find out how little I really know myself. And how much I miss them." Terra said. X didn't know if he was talking to himself or X. He decided to play it safe by not saying anything. "That experiment of yours... You sure about him? Maybe, in his heart, he wants friends just like the rest of us." Terra asked, turning to face Jumba.

"Impossible! Pshah! He has no actual feelings- only destructive instincts I have carefully chosen for him. Or perhaps you need another demonstration of my evil geniusness!" Jumba said, almost seeming offended that they were doubting him. X decided that he really did not like the fat alien.

Jumba pulled out a flask of water and something that looked like a yellow marble. He dropped th marble into the flask of water and looked away as a bright flash of light filled the room. The marble shifted forms becoming a yellow creature somewhat similar to Blue. The creature sparked and laughed before dashing across the room, lightning trailing after him.

X stood back and let Terra handle the creature. He didn't have it in him to fight something like this. He just couldn't justify it in his mind. X did act as support for Terra, using healing and buffer spells he had learned from his sister. It helped a little bit, but X wasn't sure how Terra was managing to keep up with the little thing. It was moving quickly, like the electricity it controlled.

Terra did manage to beat the yellow creature, turning it back into its marble state. The marbled rolled over to Jumba who fell to his knees to pick up the marble, acting concerned for the creature.

"Oh, you'll be all right, little one." Jumba said softly to the marble. X glanced to Terra in question. He didn't think that was normal behavior. But he could have been wrong.

As Terra crossed the room to Jumba Blue returned, approaching Terra from behind. Jumba looked around Terra to the blue creature. Blue stood up and looked at Terra curiously, his ears falling back. Jumba stood and looked at Blue curiously.

"What is it? Why have you returned?" Jumba asked. Blue made a growling like sound that X assumed was him trying to communicate. What it meant X wasn't sure.

"Did either of you get that?" X asked, glancing at Jumba and Terra. Terra looked at Blue with interest.

"Maybe he's wondering what a friend is." Terra suggested. Jumba scoffed.

"Ridiculous!" Terra ignored the fat alien and walked over to Blue, kneeling in front of him.

"My name is Terra." He said calmly. Blue tilted his head to the side.

"Ter...ra..." Blue repeated. Terra smiled and nodded.

"Yes. I can't explain friendship. When you feel it, you'll know it." Terra explained. Blue seemed to be captivated by what Terra said.

"Not if I have any say in matter! You are only meant to think about what it is you will destroy next. Now, I fix what is wrong with you." Jumba objected. Blue started growling and brisling at Jumba. Without thinking X stepped in front of Jumba, preventing him from getting any closer to Blue. Realistically X knew Jumba could push him out of the way. Jumba vastly out weighed him. But X wasn't going to allow that.

"Don't think you have the right to decide what another does with their life. That choice is theirs alone." X said with a deadly calm voice. He got a curious look from Terra, but he ignored it. He'd probably just have to explain himself later.

X was saved having to fight with the fat alien by an alarm going off. A panicked voice came on over the intercom.

"Red alert. Red alert. Experiment 626 and three prisoners have escaped from the cell bay. Security, locate the fugitives immediately. Repeat. Experiment 626 and three prisoners-"

"Took them long enough to notice." X commented looking up at the ceiling. Blue quickly ran off, heading to the door to escape and find a hiding place. Or possibly an escape route.

"Not so fast!" Jumba objected. X let him go. He wouldn't get very far as it was. The ship had to be on high alert at this point.

"Well, we can't stay here and get caught." Terra said looking to X. X smirked with a shrug.

"We could, but it's probably not in our best interest." X said. Terra rolled his eyes before summoning his keyblade armor. The two escaped with ease. In the lanes between X heard Terra mutter.

"Ven, Aqua, Y... I'll find some way to make things right." He said.

"I'm sure they want that too." X said, smiling briefly. Terra glanced over his shoulder at X. X couldn't see his expression but he could guess it was questioning.

"What was with you and 626 back there?" Terra asked looking forward again.

"Blue?" X asked, though he knew who Terra was talking about. Terra nodded in reply. "I can't stand the idea of your life falling in the hands of someone else. Of being controlled. Being nothing more than a number, or a letter." X explained calmly. Terra gave a shocked gasp. "I never wanted any of this to happen. But they took away my freedom. I was nothing, just something that had to be dealt with." X continued.

"They?" Terra asked. X ignored the question and looked at the lanes between around them.

One day the ones who did this to him would pay.


	22. Chapter XXI

**Chapter XXI; All Is Changed**

 _A/N: I don't usually start off chapters with authors note. But I feel since this chapter actually doesn't follow the original game format I'd give you a warning. This chapter introduces a few original characters, and an entirely original world, and the two following chapters continue in this world. I think it's going to answer a lot of questions about X and Y. So, here are what are probably my favorite chapters this entire story._

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Y looked around the bright forest with a frown. She had seen this place before, hadn't she? The trees all around towered above her and Ven. The ground was uneven and had very few patches of light. The canopy of leaves overhead must have blocked out most of the light. Moss hung from the tree branches nearly reaching the ground. The ground itself was covered in dead leaves from seasons past.

Y blinked in surprise as she turned, realization striking her as she began to grin broadly. She did know this place. The warm air was one of the most familiar things to her. Some of the trees even looked familiar.

"No way." Y said breathlessly. Ven turned to glance at her. He tilted his head to the side in curiosity when he saw her smile. "No way! No way!" Y repeated, laughing in joy.

"Y, are you ok?" Ven asked in concern. Y turned to face Ven still smiling brightly. Ven couldn't remember the last time she had smiled so much. Had there ever been a time she had smiled like that at the Land of Departure? If there had been it was a long time ago.

"Ok?" Y asked, stilling laughing slightly as she spoke. As if she couldn't believe it. "I'm great! Ven, I'm home!" She exclaimed. Ven blinked in surprise.

"Home?" Ven repeated in question. Y nodded quickly, looking around them. "Wait, this is where you came from?" He asked, looking around himself. He didn't think he had ever seen a forest like it. The light that made it through the canopy cast a golden glow around everything.

"Yes! I'm home. I haven't seen this place in ages!" Y said. She still couldn't believe it. Every time she looked around she saw more and more proof, but she still couldn't believe it. Y's bright smile suddenly fell, being replaced by a frown. Ven noticed quickly.

"What's wrong?" Ven asked in concern. Y turned to him with her frown.

"I wish Aqua and Terra were here. I wanted us all to be together when I came back." Y said sadly. Ven smiled at her softly. He could understand that. He wanted Aqua and Terra to be here too. Then they could see Y's bright smile too. Maybe they could remember a time she smiled like that.

"What a surprise visit." A soft voice said. The voice clearly belonged to a young girl. There was a pleasant lilt present in the voice, making it seem almost melodic. "Little princess has returned." The lilting voice continued. Ven and Y both turned trying to locate the owner of the voice. Spotting a strange splash of red color Y stopped.

Up in one of the many trees surrounding them was a young girl with bright red hair and crystal blue eyes. Freckles dotted her face, contrasting against her pale skin color. She wore a silver colored sweatshirt that hung off her shoulders over a pair of gold colored pants. Her feet were bare, with a silver anklet around her right ankle.

"Maru." Y said, looking at the ten year old in shock. The girl smiled in reply, confirming what Y had guessed.

"Good to see you Y, do you mind helping me out?" Maru asked. Y glanced around the forest before looking up at the girl with suspicion.

"What did you do now?" Y asked warily. Maru huffed in annoyance and crossed her arms.

"I have done nothing." Maru insisted as if offended. Y glanced to Ven, who could only shrug. He didn't know enough about this world to have an idea of what was going on. "But every time I try to leave this tree and get back to town the stupid little beasties swarm me." Maru continued on. Y frowned, still looking at Ven.

"The Unversed." Ven suggested. Y nodded, looking back to Maru. If it had been anything else Y suspected Maru would have been able to tell them. Maru was rather knowledgeable about the creatures in the world despite her young age. At least she had been the last time Y had been here.

"Right. We'll help." Y said. Maru smiled and slowly began to climb down from the tree. Y wasn't surprised she had gotten as far into the tree as she had, despite there being very few foot holds. Maru had always managed things that seemed impossible.

The moment Maru dropped from the tree beside Y a swarm of Unversed appeared. Y and Ven both summoned their keyblades and stepped in front of Maru.

"You weren't kidding, must be something about you." Y said, glancing over her shoulder at Maru. Maru frowned, glaring past Y at the creatures.

"Well they can kindly bugger off." Maru said, annoyance clear in her voice. Y nodded turning back to the Unversed. They didn't seem too intent on attacking, just watching. That was odd. Y could only wonder if it was something about Maru.

Y was spared more of her thinking by Ven darting forward to take out the Unversed. Y smiled and rolled her eyes as she began casting magic around his attacks, defeating the Unversed easily. The group slowly worked its way back to town. Y led the way for the most part, easily finding her way through the forest. She didn't seem to think very much of what way she was going. It seemed to be her natural territory.

They reached the edge of the town before long. The buildings stretched out for some distance, all seeming to surround a huge castle. The bricks of the town were all either warm yellows or shadowed greys. The castle had strange symbols inlaid in the stained glass. One looked like an x'ed out heart. Another was a white symbol that Y had never seen anywhere else.

Maru turned in front of Y and Ven smiling at them cheerfully.

"Thank you both. Keep an eye out, those things are everywhere." Maru warned calmly. Y nodded, looking around the town instead of at Maru. Things looked as if they never changed.

"Thanks, have you seen anything else weird?" Y asked, finally looking to Maru again. The red head frowned and crossed her arms, tapping her chin.

"No, not really. I heard there was some weird kid in a mask from Hoshiko though, you might want to go talk to her." Maru said, glancing up at Y and Ven. The two exchanged a look of worry. Strange masked boy could only point to one person. Vanitas.

"Right, thanks kiddo." Y said. Maru smiled and nodded before running away. Y personally didn't want to know where the girl was going. Maru was a trouble maker at best.

Y didn't say a word before walking into the town, hoping to find Hoshiko. The older girl would usually be monitoring the town. Y swore one day she would run the place. Ven trailed behind Y, looking around in wonder as he did so.

"Hey, Y!" A voice called out. Y turned as she was walking and waved at whoever it was.

"The little princess has returned!" Another voice called out. Y smiled turning to that voice with another wave. Her smile was as bright as it had been before. Ven could only guess she had missed all of these people. Ven wondered why she was being called a princess, but he couldn't bring himself to ask. More voices called out various greetings, and Y responded to everyone with a bright smile and happy wave and the occasional smart remark.

"You were really well known." Ven commented, watching Y with a smile. Y turned to Ven tuning out all of the other greetings directed at her.

"I was best known as X's twin. He was famous, if anyone is." Y answered with a smile. Ven tilted his head to the side curiously. He didn't know much about Y's brother, but he couldn't imagine him getting along with anyone here very well. Definitely not well enough to be famous.

"Why?" Ven asked. Y frowned with a shrug.

"I don't really know. But everyone was always fascinated by him." She explained. She glanced around the area, which was mostly empty. "I wonder if they know what happened to him." Y said in wonder. Ven frowned again.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I mean something is weird about him. It's like he suddenly has a wall I can't get past and can't see what he's thinking." Y explained with frustration. It had always been harder for her to read him, but never to the extreme it was now. She knew he was lying, but she didn't know which parts were lies and which were truths. She had no clue how her brother felt.

"Y?" A new voice said. Y stopped walking and turned to face the voice. It was a boy with black hair and green eyes. He looked surprised to see Y. He didn't have the same joy everyone else had upon seeing the blonde girl.

"Kiran." Y greeted the boy, looking him over. "Where's your sister?" Y asked. The boy looked at her in confusion. He glanced at Ven suspiciously before looking back to Y.

"What?" He asked nervously. Y found the behavior odd. Kiran was usually very calm and near arrogant. But he seemed nervous to be around her. Why, she couldn't begin to imagine.

"Your sister, Hoshiko. Where is she?" Y asked again. Kiran raised an eyebrow and glanced over his shoulder towards the castle.

"Um, up in the castles courtyard. I think. Why are you here?" Kiran asked turning back to Y. His vivid green eyes were watching her cautiously. Y decided he was definitely up to something.

"Unversed." Y replied simply. Kiran frowned once again.

"What?" He asked. Y rolled her eyes in exasperation. She glanced to Ven who was watching the interaction silently. Or she had thought he was. Instead she saw his attention was on one of the stained glass windows of the castles tower. The one with the spirits heart like symbol according to X.

"Those monsters running around. Tormenting poor little Maru." Y explained looking back to Kiran. Kiran frowned and crossed his arms.

"You know what those are?" He asked.

"Yup, and better yet I know where they come from. Kinda." Y replied quickly. Kiran quirked an eyebrow at her words.

"Where?" He asked.

"A boy in a mask is spreading them. They appear to obey his every order." Y explained. At the mention of the masked boy Ven returned his attention to the group. He looked worried just from that simple mention. Y guessed the masked boy had messed with Ven as badly as he had with her.

"That's why you're looking for my sister." Kiran said in understanding. "Ok, come on." He said motioning for them to follow him. Y didn't know why he bothered to stay, she didn't need a guide to the castle. She had lived there her entire life, she knew where Hoshiko must have been. Even weirder, Kiran was still acting flighty. He glanced around far too often for it to be normal.

Kiran left them as they entered the court yard. He didn't say anything, just left. In the court yard was a girl only a little older than Y and Ven. She had long dark hair in a low pony tail and pale blue eyes. In her hands was a keyblade that she moved with effortless grace. The key was a soft lilac color. It's rod was simple swirls, the handle looked to be made of string, forming the net of a dream catcher. The teeth of the key looked like feathers. Y always had admired the key that Hoshiko fondly called Dreamweaver. Y heard Ven gasp in surprise.

"Hoshiko!" Y called out. The girl stopped and turned, keeping her keyblade at her side. Her pale blue eyes blinked in shock as they met with Y's eyes.

"Y, you're back." Hoshiko said in surprise. Y nodded and went into the court yard. There were flowering trees around the edge of the court yard, filling the air with a light scent.

"Yeah, what's up with your brother? He was acting weird the whole way up here." Y asked, quickly taking the focus off of her return.

"Who knows." Hoshiko replied with a shrug. She flicked her wrist and banished Dreamweaver. "So what brings you back home? And who's your boyfriend?" She asked, turning her attention to Ven. Y looked away from Hoshiko as her cheeks flushed red.

"He's just my friend. His name is Ventus." Y said in embarrassment.

"But you can call me Ven." Ven said with a nervous laugh. He rubbed the back of his head glancing to Y. She was refusing to look at him.

"Well Ven it's nice to meet you." Hoshiko said with a grin as she looked between the two. Y sighed heavily before turning back to Hoshiko.

"Anyway, we're here because of the Unversed. Maru said you saw a masked boy." Y said, taking Hoshiko's attention away from what they had been discussing. Hoshiko frowned and nodded.

"Not for long. He was here for a few minutes, but gone right after the monsters showed up. Said something about breaking a spoiled brat." Hoshiko explained. Y frowned. She had no idea what that could even possibly mean.

"What could he be talking about?" Ven asking, looking at Y in curiosity. Hoshiko had her eyes on Y as well, looking to the blonde for answers. Y didn't know why they thought she would know. Ven probably knew the most about the masked boy. But he didn't have a clue.

"I dunno. This boy hasn't made much sense." Y said, trying to find an answer. The boy had only spoken nonsense when she had seen him. Talk of fading light and salvation that he couldn't get. It was almost like talking to someone who had lost their mind.

Y's thoughts were disrupted by the appearance of two girls who were clearly out of breath. She recognized both of them though she had never been very close with either. One had short blonde hair brushed back away from her face and bright green eyes. The other had long light purple hair that was braid to the side of her head. Her eyes were blue.

"Hoshiko!" The blonde girl cried out in desperation. Hoshiko quickly turned her attention to the young girl.

"That masked boy is back in the town square." The purple-haired girl said breathlessly. Hoshiko frowned glancing to Y and Ven. Y couldn't blame her either. It was strange they were just talking about him and he shows up. It was too convenient not to have been planned.

"Has anyone confronted him?" Hoshiko asked calmly.

"You're idiot brother is trying to." The blonde girl said in exasperation. Hoshiko's eyes widened in shock. Without another word she took off. The two girls followed after her, leaving Ven and Y in the court yard alone.

"Crap." Y said, looking where the three had just disappeared.

"Let's go!" Ven said before running to follow them. Y was only a second behind him. She couldn't imagine that boy being here to cause trouble for no reason. He had said there was a plan. A plan with multiple parties involved. Y tried to piece everything together as she ran. X knew the masked boy, Vanitas. The two of them seemed to be planning something, but both of them were following someone who wasn't the other. There had to be a link she was missing.

Y brushed aside the thoughts when she saw the masked boy fighting Kiran in the town square. Kiran of course looked beat up holding his silver keyblade at his side, where the masked boy hardly had a scratch on him. Hoshiko was at her brother's side while the other two girls were hanging back nervously.

"Arlene, Kaze, go get as many people away from here as you can. Especially kids." Hoshiko ordered not looking at the two girls. Both nodded and darted off searching the area for any who might get harmed. Hoshiko stepped forward and drew her keyblade. Y and Ven followed suit and glared down Vanitas.

"So the spoiled brat did return." He said calmly, not bothering to raise his keyblade from its resting position. Y's glare deepened as she tried to discover his meaning. She felt his gaze on her, completely ignoring the other two. She guessed that meant she was the spoiled brat.

"You're talking but I don't seem to be understanding a word your saying." Y said sarcastically. Vanitas snickered and turned his head away so he was looking off to the side.

"I'm not your enemy here." He said simply, he turned his attention back to the group slowly. "They are." He said pointing his keyblade at Hoshiko and Kiran. Y frowned at looked at the two of them. Neither had reacted, though Kiran might have seemed more nervous than he was a moment ago.

"What are you talking about?" Y asked looking back to Vanitas. He laughed and lowered his keyblade.

"Come on, don't you want to know what happened to your precious baby brother?" He asked. Y heard a mocking tone in his voice, but she forgot it as soon as the words left his mouth. Something had happened to X. And they knew.

"Why don't you shut up and clear out. It's four against one." Kiran snapped at Vanitas. Vanitas laughed and turned his back on them pacing away before looking over his shoulder at Y.

"See, they're trying to cover it up. They don't want you knowing." He said. Y frowned and lowered her keyblade. It would explain Kiran's strange behavior. He had been jumpy from the start, and it was getting worse at the mention of X. Was the masked boy right?

"Y?" Ven asked, lowering his own keyblade. Y frowned. Whether he was telling the truth or not, he was still the enemy. He had attacked Ven, and he had been involved with whoever was using her brother. He wasn't someone to trust in any situation.

"Just shut up, before I have to beat you." Y said, raising her keyblade again. Vanitas scoffed and looked away from her.

"Fine, if you don't want to believe me." He said. Quickly he was engulfed in the familiar dark smoke that he always vanished into. When the smoke dissipated, he was gone. Y frowned staring at where he had vanished, her mind racing.

"Y?" Hoshiko asked, banishing her keyblade and stepping forward. Y looked up at Hoshiko with a hard look.

"What did you do to my brother?" Y asked, her voice shaking. Hoshiko looked down and backed away. She looked to her own brother who was chewing on his lip in thought before looking back to the ground.

"X, something changed about him when you left. He started breaking every rule we ever had." Hoshiko explained her voice softer than it usually was. She took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm sorry, but he tried to kill Kiran. He got, well, he was sentenced to death." She explained. Y blinked in surprise.

X had never really gotten along with Kiran. But trying to kill him? That wasn't X. Had he changed that much without her to hold him back? Was that what he was really like? It didn't make sense. But, if he had been sentenced to death it would have been carried out. No questions asked. The rules of this world were absolute.

"But he's alive." Y said in confusion. Hoshiko and Kiran both looked at her in shock. They hadn't known. Ven nodded in agreement with Y.

"We just saw him a few days back." Ven explained. They hadn't seen the blonde since Radiant Gardens. He should have still been with Terra. Unless he was deserting their friend.

"That's impossible." Kiran said in disbelief. Ven shrugged and glanced at Y who was still lost in thought.

"He's still alive." Ven repeated simply. Y looked p at Kiran and Hoshiko once again.

"How did he die?" Y asked softly. If her brother was really dead, they must have been looking at some sort of look alike. But what it was Y couldn't begin to imagine.

"That's the weird part." Hoshiko said. Y frowned at those words. That couldn't be good. "He escaped from us before he could be, well, anyway, he got caught in the forest by a Heartless. We assumed it had killed him." Hoshiko continued. Y blinked in surprise. A Heartless. Those were fairly rare in the town. With the amount of keyblade wielders they had Heartless were taken care of rather quickly.

"But he's still alive. Did it just let him go?" Ven asked. Y shook her head in unison with the other two.

"No." Y said simply. There had to be a reason he was still around. A Heartless would never just let him go. And he wasn't a keyblade wielder. Y's eyes suddenly widened in surprise as she found the answer. "My brother is a Heartless." She said breathlessly.

"X would never. He hated Heartless." Hoshiko objected quickly. Ven looked between the group in confusion.

"Um, what's a Heartless?" He asked, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. Y glanced at him in surprise but brushed it off. Master Eraqus had never taught them about the darkness. Y didn't know why but she had never really cared.

"It's just what it sounds like. The result when someone's heart falls into darkness. A creature with no heart. I've never seen one look human." Y explained. But that could be the only explanation. Her brother had been turned into a Heartless but retained his appearance. Except for the color of his eyes. That's why they weren't brown anymore.

"No one has." Kiran said looking at Y with sympathy.

"Me and Ven have to get going. We have to find Terra and tell him. That X is dangerous." Y said, stepping back. Ven nodded in agreement.

"Right." He said.

"Well, good luck. And come back soon." Hoshiko said. Y smiled and nodded.

"Right, as soon as I can." Y agreed. She had a feeling soon wouldn't be for a very long time. Hoshiko smiled at her softly.

"May your heart be your guiding key." The black-haired girl said. Y smiled and laughed at her words. What an old time gesture. No one had used that one on her in ages. But all the same, it was reassuring. Maybe they could make it.


	23. Chapter XXII

**Chapter XXII; Certain Dark Things**

Terra looked around him in interest. It was a world like no other he had seen. Behind him, a forest that almost looked golden stretched on for miles upon miles. Before him was a city all surrounding a huge castle. The buildings all were warm yellow or shadowed greys or some combination of the two. The castle towers were adorned with stained glass windows. The symbol in one looked like a black and red version of the one X had on the back of his hand.

"This place looks different. Almost like Radiant Gardens." Terra said. He looked down at the young Heartless with him. It was a surprise to see X frowning as he looked over the city.

"Worlds like that are more closely based off the old world, before the keyblade war," X explained calmly. His eyes seemed to wander the city before them before turning back to the forest behind them. His frown seemed to deepen looking into the woods.

"How do you know that?" Terra asked curiously. X was silent for a moment considering his answer. He eventually sighed and looked back toward the city. It was a city he was very familiar with. It had been his home until he had been chased out.

"This where me and Y come from," X said, he heard Terra gasp in surprise but he ignored it. "There was a lot of stories about the ancient war." He continued explaining. That was basic knowledge in the world. It was studied in schools and many other areas. Even those who didn't use keyblades knew the stories.

"Where you come from?" Terra asked in shock. He was looking around as much of the city as he could see. This was a world he had heard of from Y. One had wanted to see. "So does that mean they'd recognize you?" Terra asked.

"Yeah, if we go into town it's more than likely," X answered casually, his hands in his pockets. X remembered how many people in the town seemed to know him. He hated all the attention. But everyone was fascinated by him. They had gone on about how he was a genius, how strange it was he hadn't been chosen as a keyblade wielder. Especially since he had been part of a succession ceremony. But X had never held a keyblade aside from that. And he never intended to.

"Then I guess we'll stay out of town," Terra said looking back to X. X was surprised Terra realized it would be bad for him to be seen. There was the fact that he was technically supposed to be dead. And there was also the fact he was a Heartless. Residence of this world, the City of Fate, had a particular hatred for Heartless.

"No, you go check out the town. I'll stay out here." X insisted. There could be useful information in the city. Who knew what these people had seen recently. And maybe they could teach Terra a thing or two that he needed to know.

"Alright." Terra agreed. He set off into the town, looking around as he went. He was surprised there were no Unversed. But it also seemed like there were no people. The city almost seemed to be empty.

In what appeared to be the town square Terra stopped in shock. Aqua was looking around the city in wonder. She was clearly captivated by it. The yellow and grey contrasted greatly, like night and day. It made the city seem to be a place of twilight. But Terra suspected it wasn't what it seemed.

"Aqua," Terra said as he crossed the square to his blue-haired friend. He did his best not to think of their last meeting. They hadn't parted on the best of terms. Aqua turned to face Terra. She didn't show any signs of acting on their last meeting. She only looked concerned. She glanced around quickly before looking back at Terra.

"Terra. Where's X?" She asked. She glanced around nervously once again. Terra realized she must have been looking for X. He couldn't imagine why she seemed nervous. X and Aqua had hardly been near each other. Unless maybe she felt the darkness X held as well.

"He's busy with something. Something he wanted to check out." Terra explained calmly. Aqua nodded slowly, almost unsure.

"Oh, I see." She said softly. Terra could guess she didn't believe that. When this was all over Terra was going to have to prove to his friends X could be trusted. Maybe find a way to return his heart. Anything to help his friend.

Terra was surprised when he realized that was what he thought of X as. X had been honest with him from the start. Well, as honest as he could be, he was still learning after all. A few slip-ups were to be expected, right? And he never doubted what Terra said. And he definitely wasn't worried about the darkness Terra was struggling with. He wanted to help Terra overcome it, or that's what Terra told himself.

"More world travelers." A boys voice said catching the attention of both keyblade masters. They turned to see two boys. One had black hair and vivid green eyes. He held a silver keyblade in one of his hands much to the surprise of Terra and Aqua. Next to him was a blonde boy with blue eyes.

"Who are you?" Aqua asked curiously. She was mostly focused on the boy holding the keyblade. The other one seemed too relaxed to be a problem.

"I'm Kiran, this is Myde. Who are you two?" The boy introduced, motioning to the blonde as he did. He looked at Terra and Aqua with interest. Terra could only assume from the way he had said world travelers they weren't the first to arrive. He had no idea who else could have come this way. Maybe the masked boy.

"I'm Aqua, and this is Terra," Aqua answered calmly. She motioned to Terra as she said his name and Terra nodded in acknowledgment. Kiran looked at Terra with interest.

"Terra," Kiran repeated. He was trying to remember something. Terra couldn't guess what it was. He was surprised when Kiran raised his keyblade and pointed it at Terra. Terra gasped and stepped back, preparing to summon his keyblade. Aqua stepped forward, ready to defend him. "Where's X?" Kiran asked simply.

"What?" Terra asked in confusion. He didn't think anyone would know he was with X. No one should have been able to know that.

"Y said it. You have X." Kiran said simply. Aqua seemed to stand down at the mention of their younger friend. Their younger friend who should have gone home. "He's not human, and he could kill you." Kiran continued.

"Y was here?" Aqua asked. Kiran nodded.

"Just a bit ago. With some other boy." Myde said. Kiran glared at him but the blonde boy only shrugged. Aqua nodded in understanding. She looked at the ground in thought before turning back to face Terra. She looked at him with a serious gaze.

"Terra, where is X?" Aqua asked. Terra frowned. Aqua had just heard that Ven and Y were still wandering around on their own, but all she could worry about was the word of two boys she had never met about another boy she hardly knew. It didn't seem right. Shouldn't she have been jumping to go find them? That's what the master had asked her to do. Even more, how did they find out about what X was? Had Y known the entire time?

"I get he's not human. He's a Heartless, so what? He's been trying his hardest to keep from becoming evil." Terra argued. He frowned thinking of the nagging doubt that always appeared when he spoke to the Heartless. He had always brushed it off as natural, X wasn't human, it would be harder to trust him. Terra had to keep his faith in X, X trusted him after all. Kiran laughed a little and shook his head. Even Myde seemed to be a little shaken up by the thought.

"X was a master at tricking others. Even when he had a heart. Without one, I can't imagine what he's like." Kiran said with a sad smile. Terra had no idea what that was supposed to mean. X seemed like an honest guy when he was trying. Terra suspected the small lies were just slip-ups, he didn't mean them.

"He's not evil. He's scared. He doesn't want to hurt others." Terra argued, thinking of X's reaction when Terra scolded him as he pushed down his doubt once again. X always cowered away. He was clearly scared of what he was capable of.

"I told you, he's a master of deception. Nothing against you. But you've been tricked." Kiran said. Terra glared at the black haired boy. He had never met this boy, and he wasn't going to believe him over X. X was his friend, and he would trust him. Just like his friends used to trust him.

"No, I haven't," Terra said before turning and walking out of the square. Aqua was surprised that Kiran and Myde only watched. Myde glanced at Kiran nervously as if waiting for an order.

"You're not going to follow him?" Aqua asked. Kiran laughed nervously, lowering his keyblade. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly looking at Aqua.

"Honestly, I'm terrified of X. Me and Myde wouldn't stand a chance against him. If he wanted us dead, we'd be dead. We'd need four others, at least, if we meant to take him on." Kiran explained. Aqua blinked in surprise. She had seen X fight, and while he was clearly talented, crossing a room in less than a second to protect his sister, she didn't think him that strong.

"Is he really that dangerous?" Aqua asked. Myde nodded quickly before Kiran could answer.

"Yeah, definitely." He said quickly. A reached up and ran through his hair nervously making the hair on top of his head stuck up. "I was rooting for him to be different too," Myde added sadly. Aqua frowned at his words. They didn't make much sense. Different than what?

"What do you mean?" Aqua asked curiously. Myde shrugged sheepishly. Kiran looked a little surprised that Aqua didn't understand their meaning. He didn't stop Myde from continuing talking.

"Happens all the time, twins just always cause trouble," Myde explained. Kiran nodded sadly in agreement.

"We really hoped X and Y would be different. But they weren't." He said. Aqua felt her brow crease. What could two people being twins have to do with causing trouble? Y had liked to play jokes, but never did she take things too far. But she didn't know anything about X.

"I'm still not sure what you mean," Aqua said. To Aqua's surprise, it was neither of the boys who replied.

"On that fated a land a great war shall transpire. Darkness shall prevail and the light expire." A female voice said. Aqua turned to see a girl with long black hair tied in a low ponytail. She had pale blue eyes and a lilac keyblade at her side.

"Excuse me?" Aqua asked in confusion. The dark haired girl smiled at Aqua sadly.

"It means, you have to stop X." She said simply. "Or he'll kill his sister."

*3*

X was sitting up in a tree watching the forest floor. He stretched out and yawned in boredom. He had been waiting for Terra for some time at this point. He wasn't even sure how long, but he knew he was bored. He had found what he was looking for fairly quickly and now he just needed Terra so he could show the master his findings.

X was surprised to see Terra on the ground beneath him. He had expected Terra to be much longer in the city. People there loved to talk about things.

"You're back sooner than expected," X commented from his place in the tree. Terra turned quickly and looked up at the Heartless. X was surprised to see the amount of pity his blue eyes contained when they looked at him.

"They knew I was with you," Terra explained. X frowned. That was weird. How did they even know he was alive? They should have assumed him dead after the run-in with a Neoshadow.

"What did they do?" X asked. Knowing the people in the city, probably something stupid. They tended to overreact.

"Nothing. Just asked me to give you up." Terra replied. X looked at him in surprise. That was too easy. They hadn't tried tricking Terra into revealing his location. X had thought they were smarter than that. At least Hoshiko was.

"Were you followed?" X asked. Terra shook his head again. That was really weird. Hoshiko must not have been the one he had met then. Maybe her useless brother. That idiot could probably manage to mess up something as simple as this.

"No. It was only two of them." Terra explained. X nodded looking farther up the tree he was still in. He'd have to jump down soon, but he really didn't want to.

"Let me guess, Kiran?" X said. He leaned a little to the side and allowed himself to fall from the tree. He landed on his feet not far from Terra. Terra smirked a little and nodded.

"Yeah. He was one of them." He confirmed. X couldn't help but roll his eyes. Naturally. He guessed it was fortunate it was one of the stupid ones. Maybe two. He had no idea who the other could have been.

"He's a coward. Tried to kill me, then said I attacked first when I beat him." X said, venom seeping into his voice. It had taken him a while to remember what had led to the loss of his heart. But when he had remembered he was angry. Kiran had attacked him. Accused him of being the embodiment of darkness. X had, of course, defended himself. He had always outclassed Kiran, so he might have hurt him more than he had meant to. But when Hoshiko had arrived Kiran blamed X. Claimed X had finally lost it and had tried to kill him. And somehow, Hoshiko believed him.

X had never seen such an obvious set up before that day. And he was yet to see a more obvious one afterward.

"Well, let's get out of here," Terra said.

"Wait, there's something I want to show you first," X said. Terra tilted his head to the side in confusion. X didn't wait for his reply before trekking off into the forest. Terra was left with no choice but to follow him.

X took Terra to a building that was well concealed in the forest. It had been abandoned for years giving the forest plenty of time to reclaim the lab. The face was overgrown with ivy hiding most of the warm yellow bricks. There was a glass observatory garden type room on one side. The glass had broken out and plants were growing out of it. X heard Terra's breath catch. X couldn't blame him. X had been impressed the first time he and Y had found this place.

"What is this place?" Terra asked in amazement. X smirked and glanced at the brown-haired keyblade wielder. He looked like a child in a toy store or perhaps looking at their idol. Either way, it was an amusing look.

"It's an old lab that belonged to a great keyblade master," X explained looking back to the lab. He approached the front door that was broken long ago by a younger X looking for a good place to hide when he couldn't stand people anymore.

"Really?" Terra asked following X toward the building.

"Yeah, I thought you'd like to see it," X said. He pushed open the door, showcasing a hallway. X had learned the layout of the building fairly well over his years exploring. This was a side entrance that eventually fed directly into the library.

"If there are keyblade masters in this world, why did Y have to join us?" Terra asked suddenly. He had stopped just outside the door and was looking down the hall. X frowned following his gaze. He sighed before starting down the hallway.

"I made her," X explained calmly. Terra followed him into the building looking around the hall as they walked.

"What? Why?" Terra asked. X smirked to himself. He could make a smart Alec remark there, but he decided it was probably better not to. He would instead humor the older boy.

"It was her chance to see the outside worlds she always talked about. It gave her the freedom I know she wanted, the adventure." X explained. That wasn't the full story of it. He had also known they'd become targets before long. And since Y had just suddenly gotten a keyblade with no explanation, none of the masters wanted to take her. They thought she was cursed.

"So you made her leave," Terra said softly. X wasn't sure what that was all about. Whether it was amazement or pity or something else entirely. He didn't care to find out.

"She wouldn't leave me. Not for anything. So I had to convince her." X explained calmly.

"Were you ok with her leaving?" Terra asked. X shrugged. He tried to think of what his feelings had been at the time. He didn't think he was glad to be rid of his sister. They had been pretty young at the time. But he didn't think he was sad either. He just thought he was, relieved. She would be safe.

"Not really, but we couldn't stay together. We'd split up eventually. I wanted her to be happy when we did. I'm glad she is happy with you guys." X decided. Terra smiled at him and nodded. Before he could ask any more questions the hallway opened up into the library.

Terra fell silent and looked around in amazement. X doubted he had ever seen a library this size. But he had never been in the library at the Land of Departure so he had no clue. Maybe it was similar in size.

Terra and X split up taking in as much of the library as they could. X idly took books off the shelves and skimmed over them. He had read a lot of them before when he was trying to escape. Especially when Y was gone. He had spent two years all alone. Those two years had been spent in this library trying to avoid trouble at all costs.

"Is this, Master Eraqus?" Terra asked from across the library. X looked up from the book in his hand and glanced at Terra. He was looking at a picture in his hand. X put his book back on the shelf before crossing the room.

"Let me see," X said. Terra turned the picture toward him. It was of three teenagers, one girl with two boys. The girl had white hair and deep blue eyes. She was wearing grey and red clothes. One of the boys looked like a younger Master Eraqus. He had his black hair tied back in a ponytail. His blue-grey eyes were filled with laughter. The last boy had silver hair and calculating yellow eyes. It took X a moment to realize that boy was Xehanort. "Looks like it. That actually looks like a younger Master Xehanort too." X said tapping the silver-haired boy.

"Who's the girl?" Terra asked. X shrugged and stepped back, leaning against the bookshelf.

"I don't know. I've never seen anyone like her." X said. Xehanort was one to keep people he could use close. But X never even heard of that woman. Which meant things hadn't ended well for her. Xehanort had cast her aside.

"Oh, this is a surprise." A young woman's voice said. X looked up to see a blonde woman looking at them. She had blue eyes almost like those of the woman in the picture. She was wearing a white coat and held several books in her hands. On the back of her left hand was a Heartless emblem that was orange outlined in red.

"Who are you?" X asked glaring at the woman. He didn't like the idea of someone else being on his home territory. The woman smiled at him kindly despite the glare. The smile didn't reach her eyes.

"I'm Zaya. Who are you boys?" She asked curiously. X wasn't going to answer. Not until he could really figure out who she was.

"I'm Terra, and this is X." Terra introduced them. X rolled his eyes. Terra was so naive sometimes. Almost as bad as Ventus. Zaya turned her focus from Terra to X. She watched him for a moment before speaking again.

"X, you're one of us," Zaya said with a smile. This one seemed more genuine than the last one. But X didn't like being referred to as one of anything.

"Excuse me?" X asked. Zaya chuckled a little.

"A Heartless. I can tell." She explained. X frowned and glanced at the emblem on the back of her hand. He had never seen or heard of another Heartless like himself. Her emblem was a different color, which seemed odd. But X's wasn't the normal color either.

"True enough." X agreed. "Why are you here?" He asked. She wasn't just here for talking. The presence of the books she was holding suggested she was up to something else.

"Me and a friend are picking some things up. Need them for a new project. Actually, do you mind if I call for her?" Zaya replied. X frowned. Heartless weren't really capable of friends. But it would be interesting to see who she was bothering to keep up the act with.

"No, go ahead," Terra said calmly. Zaya smiled before glancing over her shoulder.

"Tayressa! Come here for a minute!" She called. Not long after her call a woman with long white hair tipped in red slowly walked into the room. She had red eyes that would be considered unnerving by most. She wore a white coat identical to Zaya's.

"What Zaya?" The woman asked. Her voice was low and soothing. X would almost call it dark, but he wasn't sure he wanted to use that term.

"I wanted you to meet these boys. One is like us." Zaya answered with a smile. She motioned to Terra and X. The woman turned her attention to them lazily.

"You're the woman in this picture," Terra said, looking down at the picture in his hands. The woman, who X could only assume was Tayressa walked over to Terra and took the picture from him. After a moment of studying the picture, she smiled at it.

"You're right. My old friends and I, back when we were training." She said wistfully. Terra blinked in surprise.

"You trained with Master Eraqus?" Terra asked. X blinked in surprise as well.

"And the old coot?" He asked. Tayressa looked at X in amusement. He guessed she knew what the old coot meant. And it amused her to hear her friend called that.

"You boys know them?" She asked.

"Master Eraqus is my Master," Terra answered with a nod.

"And the old coot is mine," X added helpfully. Tayressa looked between the two for a moment studying them. She studied a Terra first before turning her gaze to X. X returned her gaze calmly. He realized when she turned to look at him her eyes were yellow. She had been looking at Terra's heart. She suddenly smiled at both of them, warmer than X thought was possible.

"Give them my regards the next time you see them. And apologies." She said turning away to leave the library.

"What do you want us to say?" Terra asked.

"Tell them Tessa is sorry. Let's go Zaya." Tayressa replied. She left the library leaving her blonde friend behind. Zaya turned to them with a warm smile.

"Good luck boys." She said calmly before walking out of the library herself.

"I never knew there was another apprentice," Terra said in awe. X shrugged walking back over to another bookshelf.

"I thought there might have been. Usually comes in threes. I just never heard of her." X said offhandedly. Terra nodded watching him in interest. He thought it was strange how much X knew about keyblades and their wielders but he himself wasn't one. "We should probably go now. Nothing left to do here." X said breaking Terra's train of thought. Terra could only nod. X was quite the riddle, wasn't he?


	24. Chapter XXIII

**Chapter XXIII; Fighting Fate**

Aqua frowned at the girl with dark hair. The girl was frowning at Aqua, a look of pity clear in her eyes. Aqua didn't understand at all what she had just said. It didn't make any sense. But then again, it validated what Ven had said about X. How he had attacked Ven and claimed to have no care for his sister.

"What does that mean? Why would X kill Y?" Aqua asked. She knew that Terra had faith in the young blonde boy who was apparently a Heartless, whatever that was. The least she could do was try to understand what was going on.

"That's just what happens. It's a long story." The girl explained sadly. She rubbed the back of her head like Kiran had. "If you don't mind sticking around we can tell you. Meet me in the castle courtyard if you're interested." She said. She turned and walked away heading toward the castle. Aqua watched her walk away with a frown before turning toward the direction Terra had left. Maybe she should find him and ask him to come with her. Then he could find out what was going on.

"Where could he be going?" Aqua asked calmly.

"Probably out to the forest. If X is here, that's going to be his hideout. He and Y know those woods better than anyone alive." Kiran answered. Aqua frowned and turned back to the boys. If that was the case it would take too long to find Terra again. She didn't want to run the risk of getting lost.

"Is it really that long of a story?" Aqua asked. Kiran nervously rubbed the back of his head once again. He seemed to do that a lot when talking about this topic. Or maybe he did it a lot in general.

"I can't really tell you much more. But Hoshiko can. She knows most of it already." Kiran answered. Aqua assumed Hoshiko was the dark haired girl who had been there moments before. It seemed if Aqua wanted to find out anything she'd have to ask her.

"Alright. Thank you." Aqua said. Jiran nodded with a smile.

"Yeah, good luck." Kiran said. He and Myde continued on their way leaving Aqua alone in the square. She looked toward the castle with a frown. She didn't know what the symbols in the stained glass meant, but she didn't like the way they looked. They seemed ominous and out of place in the town that was so obviously filled with light.

Aqua made her way to the castle courtyard as she had been asked to. Though she didn't know the city it was easy enough for her to find her way to the castle. And it was easier to find Hoshiko. the girl was sitting on a low wall that wrapped around part of the courtyard, separating the garden from the brick. She was looking at the sky with a frown. When she heard Aqua's footsteps she looked at her quickly smiling at the blue-haired girl.

"Glad to see you decided to come. If you know maybe you can save your friends." Hoshiko said getting to her feet. Aqua frowned and tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"Save them from what?" Aqua asked. Hoshiko sighed heavily and began to walk toward the castle. She motioned for Aqua to follow her as she went.

"Well, as I've been saying it's a long story. So first, what do you know about the keyblade war?" Hoshiko asked while walking. Aqua frowned. That wasn't something she ever remembered hearing about. The Master had never mentioned anything about it. But it was seeming there was many things they didn't know.

"The keyblade war?" Aqua asked. Hoshiko nodded in reply. "I've never heard of such a thing." Aqua said. Hoshiko chuckled in reply.

"Well, then you're behind," Hoshiko said walking through the halls of the castle. The walls were decorated with tapestries of various ages. aqua noticed a similarity between all of them. Two children who looked like twins. One had a blue heart-shaped moon over a barren wasteland filled with keyblades. The sight sent chills down her spine. "I don't know why your master wouldn't tell you about it. It's pretty much elementary level here. It began a long long time ago. All the worlds used to be one." Hoshiko continued explaining, capturing Aqua's attention again. Aqua frowned. That was the story Kairi's grandmother had told in Radiant Gardens.

"I know that. But when people began to fight over the light the world fell into darkness. The worlds of now are what was saved by the light in the hearts of children." aqua finished for Hoshiko. The dark haired girl nodded.

"Oh, good. You know the very basics. You see, that fight people were having over the light, that was the keyblade war." She explained glancing over her shoulder at Aqua.

"What?" Aqua asked in confusion. It seemed to be just a fairytale. Not a tragic story of war. How did Kairi's grandmother even know that story? Worlds weren't supposed to know about other worlds.

"Yup. The story is actually a lot more complicated. But the fairytale version is told that way. But what we're going to talk about predates even the war." Hoshiko explained calmly. Aqua frowned in confusion. She didn't understand how any of this was relevant to what was going on. How did something that happened so long ago matter now?

"I don't understand. What does any of this have to do with Y?" Aqua asked. Hoshiko put up her hand to ask for patience. Aqua sighed but nodded. She needed to know how to save her friends. From whatever it was that was going to befall them.

"Back when the world was new there were three gods of a sort. There was Kingdom Hearts, the most powerful of the three. Then there were her two children. Light and Darkness." Hoshiko explained. Aqua frowned. She had thought darkness hadn't existed until much later than light. "Light was a kind benevolent force, people loved her. Darkness wasn't nearly as kind, so people feared him. He became so jealous and rage full that he killed his sister. Kingdom Hearts sought to punish Darkness, but Light was too kind. On her dying breath, she wished for her brother's salvation. Kingdom Hearts decided to reincarnate the two as human, until a time when Darkness lost his jealousy." Hoshiko continued explaining. Aqua gasped in surprise. Though she still didn't understand what this had to do with Y. All the same, it was a scary thought. That Darkness was a human. She could only wonder who it was.

"I'm still confused." Aqua admitted. Hoshiko laughed and stopped walking, turning to face Aqua. The hall had brightened up. Windows were open along one side and more tapestries hung on the opposite wall. Aqua didn't take the time to study them. She was too focused on Hoshiko.

"Well, fast forward a little bit. Keyblade war is looming. There's a traitor on the loose, no one can find him. All they have is a prophecy, on that fated land a great war shall transpire, darkness shall prevail and the light expire. War happens and there are twins on different sides, a boy, and a girl. The boy ends up killing his sister. Kingdom Hearts shows up." Hoshiko said. Aqua frowned. There was something important in that, but she wasn't sure what.

"What are you suggesting?" Aqua asked warily. Hoshiko laughed and continued walking. The laugh was bitter and filled with sadness. She didn't like this very much.

"I think it's pretty obvious. Light and Darkness are always born as twins. They usually end up in this world. And no matter what, Darkness kills Light, or gets her killed." Hoshiko explained. Aqua took in a shocked breath. If what Hoshiko was suggesting was true, things were only going to end badly.

"What proof do you have?" Aqua asked. Hoshiko sighed heavily.

"Well, there's this one right here." She motioned to a tapestry beside her. Aqua saw two children facing a hoard of people who looked sick and tired, but angry and spiteful. "There was a queen, pretty young for reasons we're not exactly sure of anymore. Her twin brother was her loyal servant. He tricked her into starting a war, and left her to be killed at the guillotine." Hoshiko explained.

"That's awful." Aqua said softly. Hoshiko nodded in agreement.

"There's another where darkness was spreading through this world. Light tried to save everyone by taking in the darkness herself. But her brother just kept spreading the darkness until she died." Hoshiko continued as they reached the end of the hall. There was a set of what looked like tarot cards in a glass case at the end of the hall.

"Does it ever end?" Aqua asked sadly. It was sad to think of twins constantly killing each other in various ways. It was like torture. And she was terrified to see Y die like all the rest before her. If the stories were true.

"I don't know. I hope one day it will, but as it stands it's still going. And they always die young. 14 is the oldest they get." Hoshiko said sadly. She was looking at the cards with a sad frown. She looked like she was in pain. Aqua supposed since she had known the twins it was even harder for her to imagine.

"Y just turned 14." Aqua said in shock. Hoshiko turned to her and nodded.

"I know. That's why I'm scared. Y is so sweet, she doesn't deserve it." Hoshiko said. Aqua frowned and looked at the cards. They looked completely ordinary. She couldn't imagine why they were in a glass case like they were.

"What's this?" Aqua asked motioning to the glass case. Hoshiko looked at it calmly. Almost like she had forgotten it was there. She smirked a little at the cards before turning back to Aqua.

"Another interesting story. They say Light made these before her death. They have the power of Kingdom Hearts embedded in them. Darkness killed her trying to get the cards, he knew they would have amazing powers. But when he touched them they went blank. They only respond to who they choose." Hoshiko explained calmly. Aqua looked at the cards in interest. That was something she'd never heard of anything but a keyblade doing. Choosing its master.

"Strange," Aqua said in thought. Hoshiko smiled a little and nodded.

"Yeah." She agreed. She glanced over at hall behind them. She seemed to consider the position of the sunlight before looking back to Aqua. "Well, I should get going. You can hang around here a little more if you like. And may your heart be your guiding key." Hoshiko said. Aqua smiled at her words. It was an old-time gesture keyblade wielders hardly used anymore.

"Thank you," Aqua said with a smile. Hoshiko smiled in return before walking down the hall heading back to the courtyard. Aqua frowned and looked back to the tarot cards. "I shouldn't stay much longer." Aqua said to herself.

"You know, Tempus says that's not all true." A lilting voice said, making Aqua jump in shock. She turned to a small girl with red hair and crystal blue eyes. She had a few freckles across her face and wore silver and gold but no shoes.

"Who are you?" Aqua asked, crouching so she was eye level with the girl. The girl raised an eyebrow at her which almost made Aqua chuckle.

"I'm Maru." The girl introduced. She turned away from Aqua, looking at the cards. "Anyway, Tempus says there's a lot of things missing in those old stories. Wrong facts too." She continued. Aqua frowned and stood up. She wondered how long the girl had been listening. She hadn't noticed they were being followed.

"Like what?" Aqua asked.

"Well, in the old keyblade war, Darkness didn't know it was his sister. The battle was too chaotic to know anything about who he was fighting." Maru began, motioning off to the side as she spoke, putting up a finger as she went through each story. "And that queen. She was really evil, without her brother tricking her. And her brother took her place at the guillotine. They looked enough alike they could trade places. The one who spread darkness, he tried to stop his sister, he died beside her because he tried to take the darkness from her and couldn't." She continued listing off. She must have been following them from the start from her knowledge of the stories Aqua had heard. It seemed strange that such a young girl knew these stories when no one else did. It was a mystery as to who had told the girl. Or if any of it was true.

"Who is Tempus? And how would they know that?" Aqua asked. Maru pointed at the cards causing Aqua to gasp.

"That's Tempus. Tempus knows everything. And by the way, Darkness is the one who created them. Light and Darkness were both killed by a thief who was trying to steal them." Maru answered.

"You talk to the cards?" Aqua asked in disbelief. Maru nodded and put her hands behind her back.

"I'm their chosen. They tell me lots of things." She explained. There was a short pause as Aqua did her best to understand what was going on. This little girl knew everything because of a deck of cards that spoke to Kingdom Hearts. "Do you want to know the future?" Maru suddenly asked catching Aqua off guard.

"You can do that?" Aqua asked. Maru smiled proudly and nodded.

"Yup!" Maru said. She skipped over to the glass case and carefully lifted it up. Aqua didn't think it should have been that easy to get to with how special the cards were. She wondered if Maru had just gotten rid of all other security already. As Maru touched the cards they changed. The backs turned black with a red x'ed out heart design. Aqua couldn't see the fronts of the cards but she assumed they had changed too. "So what's your name? And what do you want to know?" Maru asked sweetly.

"My name is Aqua." Aqua introduced herself. She frowned trying to what it was she wanted to know. With so much going on there were plenty of questions to ask. But Aqua soon decided what she really wanted to know. It was what was worrying her the most. "What's going to happen to my friends?" Aqua asked softly.

"Names please." Maru said simply. Aqua smiled softly thinking of her friends. She missed them terribly.

"Terra, Ventus, and Y." Aqua said. Maru nodded.

"Alrighty, Tempus, what's going to befall Aqua, Terra, Y, and Ventus?" Maru asked. It struck Aqua odd she was asking the cards, but she decided not to quest it. Maru drew a series and laid them out in a specific pattern that Aqua assume the little girl understood. Aqua did her best to study the cards but she had no idea what most of them meant or even were for that matter.

The first card the girl drew was a katana laying across the ground with a great black wolf standing over it. In each corner was either the Roman numeral for one or the x'ed out heart on the back of the cards. The next card was two bright red sai's surrounded by flames. The symbol from the first card was repeated with a roman numeral eight instead. It was followed by a strange charm that looked like it belonged to a keyblade with an orb of darkness. In either corner was a Roman numeral one or a strange blue eye. Next was a blue heart-shaped moon and a sword made of two keyblades crossed at the hilt. That card was followed by one that had all four of the wayfinders Aqua had made. The next card was a small shadow like creature in front of the x'ed out heart. The next was a gunblade with its tip stuck in a block of ice. The corners had the Roman numeral for six or the x'ed out heart. That was followed by a card with the image of the ocean at night with the strange eye and the Roman numeral for two. The last card was a broken wayfinder which could only belong to Terra.

"Oh." Maru said quietly after studying the cards for a moment. Aqua looked up at her in worry.

"What is it?" Aqua asked.

"It's not going to be pretty." Maru said in a quiet voice. "I think, you're all going to lose, very badly. There's deception, and mistakes, darkness, that card that means nothing good." She explained pointing at the card with the blue heart and strange sword.

"What does that mean?" Aqua asked in fear. Maru swallowed nervously before continuing.

"There's going to be a fight. And it won't end pretty. Everyone will be lost, though in different ways. One will lose themselves to another, another will just lose themselves, one will sleep, and the last will become lost." Maru explained simply. Aqua didn't understand what that meant, but it worried her. All of them were going to become lost. Did that mean they were going to die? Whether it did or didn't, Aqua couldn't let that happen.

"Can I stop it?" Aqua asked. Maru smiled softly.

"The future can always change. You just have to choose your moves wisely." She said. Aqua nodded looking at the cards.

"I have to go then." Aqua decided. She had to find her friends before it was too late. "Thank you." She said looking up at Maru. Maru nodded and started gathering up the cards again.

"Of course." Maru said with a smile. As she placed the cards back on their pedestal they changed back to what they had been before. "Please, do try to save the twins, they're my favorites." Maru pleaded. Aqua nodded. She wasn't sure about X, but she'd do anything to save Y.

"I'll try." Aqua said. And she would. She couldn't lose her friends. They were all she had in the end.

* * *

 _ **A/N: So, what do you all think of X and Y's homeworld? Pretty pleasant place, huh? This a bit of a confession. A lot of the stories mentioned in the chapter are not original. They're based on Vocaloid songs because I am trash. The story about the evil queen**_ _**is based** **off an entire series of songs called the story evil, the main song being The Servant of Evil. I always like to imagine X singing that for Y when they were little. The other story of darkness spreading is based off a song called Soleil, which is another of my personal favorites.**_  
 _ **Let me know what you think and if you have any questions. Thanks for taking the time and reading this.**_


	25. Chapter XXIV

**Chapter XXIV; Friendship Circle**

Y spun her glider beside Ven a laugh escaping her lips as she did so. Ven laughed as he watched her flip and spin in the empty space. Her laughter was continuously bubbling out every time she moved her glider. She softly bumped her glider into Ven's and laughed before pulling away from him. Ven laughed once again with a shake of his head. Y tapped the other side of his glider suddenly before pulling back again. Ven laughed as he chased after her, tapping the back of her glider with his own. Y let out a giggle as she turned to chase after Ven.

This continued for some amount of time. Y and Ven took turns chasing each other through the space around them. Their laughter rung out around them as they played in the lanes between. It was just like before all the chaos had begun. Just a simple game between two friends who were still just children.

Very suddenly Ven stopped and looked ahead. Y stopped and glanced at him having heard his laughter stop.

"Huh? What's that?" Ven asked. Y looked in the direction Ven was looking. She didn't see anything.

"What's what?" Y asked. She turned to look back at Ventus. As she did so whatever it was Ven had been looking at flew past them. Y snapped her head towards the object trying to figure out what it was. She quickly identified it as some kind of Unversed by the symbol it bore on its body.

"Whoa! Unversed!" Ven said in shock. Y couldn't blame him. They had never really seen Unversed while in the lanes between. It seemed like a strange place for them to be. She had thought the lanes were blocked off to all but the keyblade wielders.

The giant Unversed turned back around and rushed past Ven and Y again. It was closer than before, using its tentacles to try and hit the two. Y quickly realized the blue almost jellyfish-like Unversed was trying to knock them off their gliders.

"Try that again." Ven challenged the Unversed, preparing to take it out. Y rolled her eyes at Ven's taunt.

"I think it just might." Y said warily. Before the Unversed was given the chance to repeat its action Ven attacked the creature with his glider.

It was more difficult than Y thought it would be to fight the Unversed. It was probably because they had never had to fight while on their gliders. It had always been smooth sailing. With the sudden attack, Ven and Y weren't prepared. Ven did his best to attack with the glider. Y hung back and cast magic from her place. It worked well enough, if not the best.

The Unversed very suddenly left the battle. It flew away heading toward a spaceship that Y hadn't noticed until seconds before.

"Trying to catch a ride huh?" Ven said as he followed after it. Y followed him without a word. She was too busy looking over the ship. It was huge. She couldn't believe she hadn't seen it until now. She wondered where it had come from and if it was capable of traveling worlds. There had to be a reason it was in the lanes between.

On the ship, the two found themselves in a round room. There was some kind of circular object in the center. Y didn't know what it was for and she was sure she'd never figure it out. The room was empty though, with no sign of the Unversed they had followed onto the ship.

The two friends hardly had time to look around when a harsh voice from behind caught their attention.

"So you're the intruders. Identify yourselves." The voice demanded. Y turned to see a giant humanoid whale-like creature holding some sort of weapon facing toward them. Y blinked in surprise looking over the whale-like creature. She had never seen something so strange in the entire time they had been exploring the worlds.

"He's a whale." Y whispered in disbelief to Ven. Ven held in a snicker at her childish words. He looked up at the whale creature calmly.

"My name's Ventus, she's Y." Ven introduced calmly. "The monster we were chasing boarded your ship." He explained. The whale scoffed at Ven. Y frowned at that reaction. Did he think they were lying?

"Nice try. If there was another intruder aboard, we'd have detected it." The whale said with a smirk. Y frowned and opened her mouth to speak but was stopped by the entire ship shaking and an alarm going off.

"Intruder in the machinery bay! We've lost control of the engines! I-its some kind of monster!" A panicked voice said over an intercom system. Y looked up at the ceiling then looked back at the whale creature.

"Like that?" Y asked. The whale ignored her.

"Now you tell me." The whale muttered to himself. He turned his back on Ven and Y, apparently deciding they weren't as big a problem as he had originally thought they were. "Stay right there! I have lots of unpleasant questions to ask you." He snapped over his shoulder. He left the room without a further word.

"This is our fault, we have to do something." Ven said turning to Y. Y nodded in agreement.

"Let's find the machinery bay then." She said. The two went toward the door the whale had left out quickly. They had no idea where this machinery bay was but they assumed following the whale would be the fastest way to find it.

They were stopped when a blue creature dropped down in front of them. It didn't look quite like any animal Y had ever seen. It had big ears and antenna between his ears. Along his back were antenna-like protrusions. He had six legs and a short tail that looked almost like a rabbits. He wore an orange suit of some kind.

"Oh my god, this is the cutest thing I have ever seen." Y said as she looked at the small blue creature. She had no idea what it was actually called, but she decided she was calling him Fluffy until she learned his real name.

"Ven...? Terra... Ah-koo, wah... Y." Fluffy said the words sounding forced and awkward. It took Y a moment to realize what he had said. It was their names. All four of her friends.

"What? You know Terra and Aqua?" Ven asked in shock. He knelt down, putting his hands on his knees so he could talk to Fluffy more easily. Fluffy replied by pulling out a vaguely star-shaped object that looked to be made of objects that could be found just lying around the spaceship. "What's that?" Ven asked. Y smiled and knelt down, taking out her pink wayfinder charm and holding it out beside Fluffy's.

"Fren... circle!" Fluffy said. Y smiled and nodded.

"That's right, a wayfinder." She said softly. Fluffy nodded looking at Y with his big black eyes. Y could hardly believe this creature was so cute. It was even trying to make friends with them.

Y was jolted from her thoughts when the ship shook again. She looked around in confusion as Ven stood straight beside her. Fluffy looked around as well, seeming confused by the sudden movement.

"The engines are under too much stress. We're risking an explosion!" The same voice from earlier said over the intercom. She sounded much more panicked this time.

"What are we doing? There's no time!" Ven said. Y nodded and got to her feet. The two ran past Fluffy toward the door. Y stopped when she realized the small creature was following them. Ven stopped as well and turned to face Fluffy.

"No! You need to stay here. It's too dangerous." Ven said. He didn't take the time to say anything more and just ran off. Y felt a tightness in her chest watching him. It was so much like what Aqua and Terra had done to them. Y looked at Fluffy and smiled softly.

"We'll be right back, just wait here for us." Y said. She smiled once again before running after Ven. The tightness in her chest only grew worse. Was this what aqua felt every time she told them to go home? Or was it just because she had been in the same situation as Fluffy.

They made it to the machinery bay after a lot of wandering around the ship. The Unversed seemed to be circling a big beam of light that might have had something to do with the engine. Vena and Y came to a stop not far from the light beam their keyblades drawn.

"End of the line." Ven said as they came to a stop. The Unversed stopped its circling and stopped in front of them. Y didn't know why it did. Perhaps it was looking for a fight. She was beginning to think the Unversed enjoyed fighting keybearers.

There was a sudden explosion above them that made Ven and Y look up. As they did Fluffy fell from the ceiling and landed beside them. Y blinked a few times while Ven stepped back.

"Hey! You shouldn't be here." Ven said angrily. Y shot Ven a glare.

"Ven, he just wants to help." Y said softly. Ven looked at Y and met her eyes. He frowned and looked away toward the Unversed. Y suspected he realized what she had. Fluffy was just acting like they did. He couldn't sit back and watch any more than they could. Fluffy growled and started sounding like he might be talking in a different language.

"What is it?" Ven asked looking to Fluffy. He was ignored by the alien creature.

Before Ven could try to press for an answer the Unversed became sick of waiting for them to move. It took the combined effort of the three of them to take down the Unversed. Ven handled up close attacks as always. Fluffy was able to shoot at the Unversed from all over the room. Y hung back, usually not far from Fluffy and used her usual magic.

The Unversed eventually fell. Y was beginning to get annoyed with the strength of these creatures. They just kept getting stronger. And that worried her. What if that meant their leader was growing in strength? What if the masked boy got so strong he couldn't be beaten? Y was pulled from her thoughts when she saw Fluffy still growling and yelling at the now gone Unversed in his strange language.

"It's over! Cut it out." Ven said.

"Ven," Y warned as Ven stepped forward trying to calm Fluffy down. Despite his attempts, Fluffy continued to be angry lashing out at nothing. He lashed out against Ven knocking the boy over.

"Whoa!" Ven said as he fell backward. Fluffy seemed to calm down after hearing Ven fall. Y frowned and crouched in front of Fluffy.

"What's wrong?" Y asked softly. Fluffy stood on his hind legs and pulled out broken pieces of his wayfinder. Y pressed her lips together in a thin line and looked over the wayfinder. She wasn't sure how it had been broken. And she wasn't sure she could fix it. Aqua would have been better for that.

"I see, your wayfinder broke. Well, don't worry. Friendship's more than an object." Ven said with a soft smile. Fluffy looked up at him with his head tilted to the side. His ears panned around as if listening for something.

"Fren-ship cir-cle?" Fluffy asked. Y smiled at him.

"Friendship circles are made with your heart, not your hands." Y explained. Ven nodded in agreement beside her. Fluffy looked up at them seeming to consider their words.

"Hmph, don't let the little mimic fool you. You saw for yourself what kind of monster that thing is. All it knows how to do is hurt and destroy." Ven and Y turned to see the whale guy from earlier.

"Monster? He helped us stop the monster!" Ven objected.

"And we know those are monsters." Y said. She glanced to Fluffy who was bristling at the sight of the whale guy. She didn't know what his problem with the little guy was, but she didn't care. Fluffy was kind enough.

"You must have triggered some sort of mutation hidden in the little freak's genetic coding." The whale guy objected. Y frowned at his words. He was needlessly unkind. What had Fluffy done to him?

"Ven. Y. Frens!" Fluffy said quickly stepping forward just a small bit.

"That's right. We are friends!" Ven agreed. Y nodded in agreement.

"Better say your goodbyes now, because 626 is about to be destroyed!" The whale said training his gun on Fluffy. supposed 626 was his actual name but she didn't like that as much. Fluffy quickly jumped onto the whales face causing the whale to stumble back. "Stop that!" The whale yelled as Fluffy pulled him to the round somehow.

"C'mon." Ven said before taking off running. Y and Fluffy followed without question. Glancing over her shoulder Y heard the whale call for reinforcements. She hoped Ven had an escape plan.

By some miracle, the three of them managed to get off the ship. Ven and Y had their keyblade armor on while Fluffy was in a red cruiser he had stolen from the ship. They were being chased by multiple other cruisers.

"Yee-ha!" Fluffy yelled gleefully from inside his cruiser. Y laughed a little at his reaction. She wondered how long it had been since he had been free. Or if he ever even had been.

Behind them, the cruisers were shooting some sort of lasers at them. Fluffy laughed each time they missed and honked his horn.

"Where are we going?" Ven asked looking to Fluffy. Inside his cruiser, Fluffy pulled up a knob of some kind. Y couldn't hear anything but Fluffy was clearly listening to something. He pushed the knob back down.

"Break formation! Get clear!" One of the police chasing them ordered. Y looked around as all the other cruisers pulled away from them.

"That can't be good." Y said looking back to Ven and Fluffy.

"What is it? What's going on?" Ven asked. Fluffy tried to answer but before he could the cruiser shot forward. Waves of energy rolled off the ship sending Ven and Y spiraling through space.

"Whoa!" Ven yelled. Y yelled several different choice words that she would never use in front of Aqua. The ripples continued rolling sending the two into space with no control of where they would land.


	26. Chapter XXV

**Chapter XXV; Lost Boys**

X groaned in annoyance as yet again Terra jumped to the rescue of people who were being attacked by the Unversed. It seemed everytime they went to a new world someone was getting attacked by Unversed and Terra had to step in. In this world, it happened to be two pirates of some kind and a treasure chest. Terra beat back the Unversed easily. X was impressed by Terra's growth as a keyblade wielder. He was getting stronger each world and doing well to keep up with the Unversed that were rapidly growing in strength.

"If I'd desired your assistance, I'd have demanded it. We had the situation under control. Isn't that right, Smee?" The black haired pirate in red said after Terra had beat all the Unversed for him. He had a hook for his left hand which X found amusing.

"Oh yes, Cap'n. Completely. We woulda cleaved those fiends to the brisket, we would. Why I'd have given 'em a little of this- and this-" His partner, Smee said swinging his fists around. Watching his moves X guessed he'd last about three minutes against the swarm. If he was lucky and the Unversed felt like playing with their food.

"Yep, they totally had that handled." X said to Terra his voice drenched with sarcasm. Terra looked down at X with a soft grin. X shrug at Terra grinning in return. The pirates seemed to completely miss the sarcasm, however.

"And don't think your efforts mean you'll get a share of me treasure. Understood?" The man with the hook said. Terra sighed and looked at the man calmly.

"I'm not after your precious box, Captain." Terra said simply. X supposed it was alright to assume he was the captain. Compared to the other man he was rather well dressed. "I'm looking for a person. A boy wearing a mask. Ring any bells?" Terra asked. X frowned. He had forgotten that was who they were looking for. He hadn't seen Vanitas even once while with Terra. Vanitas had his focus elsewhere.

"No, not a one." The captain snapped. Terra sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Figures." He said. He glanced down toward X as if asking what to do now. X frowned and crossed his arms. This world might still have something interesting so there was no point in just leaving. Terra could just exterminate Unversed for all X cared.

"Smee! Ye blithering barnacle! We're off. We shall leave this place before the light draws 'em back again." The captain yelled interrupting X's thoughts. X looked up in confusion just as Terra turned his attention back to the pirates.

"Hey, hold on." Terra said stopping the pirates in their tracks. "What did you just say about the light?" He asked. The captain looked at Terra a moment before a grin spread across his face. X didn't like the look of the grin, but Terra didn't seem bothered.

"Ah yes, it's heartbreaking really. This chest, you see, contains light gathered from all around. And I got an acquaintance, a boy, who's sure to try and seize it." The captain explained with a sorrowful voice. Terra frowned and looked to X.

"A boy who's after the light. If it's not Vanitas, then who?" Terra asked. X frowned and looked at the chest. It wasn't special, so the captain was probably lying. But even so, it was better to just let Terra figure that out on his own.

"A lot of people want to steal the light. It's rather precious." X said after a moment. Light was for some reason greatly valued. Plenty would want to take it from others. There was an entire war fought over that after all. Terra nodded and looked back to the pirates.

"Hey, why don't I help you keep the light safe? Maybe you could tell me more about this boy who's troubling you. What's his name?" Terra suggested. The captain looked pleased by Terra's decision. He grinned once again.

"Peter Pan." He said. X blinked a few times and looked around the area. It was the edge of a forest. Not much else stood out to identify the world. "This chest must be brought to Skull Rock safely. Don't let Peter Pan anywhere near it!" The captain X assumed now was Captain Hook ordered.

"Right. I've got you covered." Terra agreed. Hook and Smee left as soon as Terra agreed. X glanced at the chest once again. He wondered what was actually in the chest. He looked up and glanced around. Where were they taking this chest again?

"Where is Skull Rock? What does Peter Pan look like?" X asked, glancing around still. Terra looked at him in confusion. X met with Terra's eyes again. "Those are questions you should have asked before agreeing to this." X finished. Terra glanced around and laughed nervously.

"Good point." Terra agreed. He turned back to see X still looking around the area in wonder. Terra didn't think much of this world. It seemed not too different from any other world they had been to. And X had been to more worlds. Surely this world couldn't be that interesting. "Why do you keep looking around?" Terra asked. X stopped looking around and turned his attention to Terra almost reluctantly.

"Second star to the right and straight on till morning." X said. Terra frowned.

"What's that about?" He asked. X smirked and sighed looking around. His usually angled eyes soften if only slightly. Terra was surprised to see his expression.

"That's what Y used to tell me. That's how you get to Never Land." X explained. Terra looked around slowly. X hadn't spoken much about his relationship with Y. Terra could only guess he felt as a Heartless he didn't have a right to be with his sister. She was still one of light while X was trapped in the darkness.

"This is Never Land?" Terra asked. X shrugged.

"Pretty sure. Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Smee. It's all the characters in the old bedtime story. Y's favorite." He explained. Terra tried to remember all the stories Y had told. She had always loved telling stories. And she was pretty good at it too. Even Master Eraqus would stop and listen if she decided to tell any kind of story. If had been her favorite, she had never told it to them for some reason.

"So you know about this world." Terra guessed. X shrugged once again.

"All I know is now I owe Y munny." He said. X turned and walked away. Terra sighed and followed, dragging the chest with him.

As it turned out the stories Y had told gave a good basic sense of directions to X. He was able to roughly guess where they were and find their way to Skull Rock fairly quickly. X took out all the Unversed in the way as well, letting Terra handle the chest. They reached Skull Rock to find Hook and Smee already there inside a cave they took up most of the island.

"Well done." Hook praised, looking at the chest with greedy eyes. X rolled his eyes and paced away investigating the area. He heard a conversation between Smee and Hook, but he tuned out most details. Something about a shooting star that might not be a shooting star at all.

Hook approached Terra once again, clearing his throat as he did so. Terra looked at him calmly waiting for him to speak.

"We've a bit of business to attend to and must, I fear, step away. I trust you can see to things till I return." Hook said calmly. Terra nodded without a second thought.

"Sure. When Peter Pan gets here, I'll be waiting." He said. Hook and Smee once again vacated the area.

Terra took a guarding position by the chest while X sat on top of the chest. He picked at the underside of his nails with one of his daggers like he often did when he was bored and waiting for something. Before long the two were greeted by a red-haired boy wearing green flying into the room.

"Are you Peter Pan?" Terra asked.

"That's me!" The boy confirmed.

"The light is not yours to take!" Terra said summoning his keyblade and charging after Peter Pan. X stayed seated on the chest as he watched Terra fight the boy in green. X sighed and looked away. He was surprised to see two boys dressed as animals in front of him. He identified them as two of the Lost Boys.

"So what's actually in the chest?" X asked leaning back on the chest. The Lost Boys exchanged a look and shrugged at each other before turning back to X.

"Pirate treasure!" The one dressed as a fox said excitedly. X nodded.

"I see." He said. He hopped off the chest and opened it. As promised it was filled with gold and jewels. X sighed and stepped to the side. "Hey, Terra! Stop fighting!" X called. Terra stopped and turned to face X in surprise. His eyes widened and his lips part in a soundless gasp.

"What's this?" Terra asked approaching the chest. Peter landed beside him and walked beside him to the chest.

"Pirate treasure." X answered with a shrug.

"I've been guarding a pile of loot?" Terra asked softly.

"Sounds like you've been tricked." Peter said crossing his arms. Terra nodded and turned to look at Peter apologetically.

"I'll say. I owe you an apology. I picked a fight over nothing." Terra said. X could see his eyes harden. He was angry. Good, maybe he'd do something about that anger. Then they'd get somewhere.

"Aw, it was all in good fun. Not every day I get to fight such a good swordsman. Say, what's your names, anyway?" Peter said waving off Terra's apology. He looked between Terra and X curiously.

"Terra." He introduced himself. He opened his mouth to introduce X, but the blonde Heartless beat him to it.

"X." He said. Terra gave him a strange look but X only shrugged. It was uncommon for him to introduce himself, but he figured he could make an exception for this world.

"Right then, Terra, X. Which way did Hook go?" Peter asked. X frowned. They hadn't actually said where they were going. Just that they had business elsewhere. They could really be doing anything anywhere on the island.

"They said something about a shooting star." Terra said.

"Shooting star?" Peter asked in a panic. Terra nodded slowly. "Tinker Bell must be in danger! Men, guard that treasure with your lives!" Peter ordered. The Lost Boys saluted and gave some kind of confirmation as Peter took flight and left Skull Rock.

"We should get going." Terra said with a smile. He was looking at the Lost Boys who were looking at the treasure with awe.

"Alright." X agreed.

X and Terra left the cave they had been in while guarding the chest. They had hardly gotten out of the cave when they heard the Lost Boys yelling.

"Ah! It's a monster!" One of the boys yelled. X turned around quickly, Terra turning with him.

"Somebody help!" The other boy yelled.

"We should go back." X said calmly. Terra nodded before taking off back towards the cave where they had left the Lost Boys. Inside the cave, the two Lost Boys were running from a swarm of jellyfish-like Unversed.

"Unversed!" Terra yelled summoning his keyblade. While he charged at the Unversed X drew his daggers and went to the Lost Boys. He beat back the Unversed that got near them, keeping them from harm.

Terra took down the large swarm quickly. X smirked a little as the Lost Boys came out from behind him. They looked at Terra with awe.

"Boy, you sure cut that monster down to size!" The Lost Boy dressed as a fox said happily. Terra smiled at the boys, but his smile quickly dropped as he looked toward the entrance of the cave.

"Shh..." Terra cautioned.

"Ahoy! How fare ye, lad?" The voice of Hook called into the cave.

"Hook!" The boys cried in fear. X grabbed both of their wrists and pulled them away.

"Come on." X said as he pulled them to a place behind a bunch of rocks.

"Fine. Alls well." Terra answered. X peaked around the rock he had hidden the Lost Boys behind. He saw Hook approach Terra carrying a lantern of some kind. "What' that?" Terra asked curiously. Hook held up the lantern.

"Tinker Bell. One of Peter Pan's dearest friends." He replied with his evil grin. X frowned and glanced to the Lost Boys. Both looked very concerned that they had lost their pixie friend.

"Can I take a look?" Terra asked. Hook handed Terra the lantern and turned away. While Hook's back was turned Terra opened up the lantern and freed the fairy. The fairy flew around and kicked Hook in the face. X held in a snicker as Hook stumbled back in confusion.

"What's the meaning of this?" Hook demanded turning back to Terra.

"You know, I didn't really give it that much thought. Just doing what my heart tells me." Terra said calmly. Hook seemed to only get angrier, his teeth grinding together.

"That's mutiny! And you'll walk the plank for it!" Hook yelled. Terra responded by summoning his keyblade remaining calm. Suddenly a ticking sound filled the air. Hook tensed up in fear. "That sound!" Hook turned to see a crocodile in the water. Hook let out a scream and ran away. X laughed as he left his hiding place with the Lost Boys.

"Hooray! We sure showed Hook this time!" The fox boy said happily. Terra banished his keyblade and looked up as Tink flew above them. He looked up for some time, so X guessed he was thinking.

"Aww, so much for the pirate treasures." The bear Lost Boy said in disappointment. He was looking at a now empty treasure chest. The Unversed must have spread the jewels and gold around or perhaps stolen it.

"Ohhh." The other boy said.

"Did you guys really want the jewels and gold that badly?" Terra asked.

"Nah, we don't care about that stuff." The fox boy said.

"Uh, but, uh, Pan was countin' on us." The bear boy continued. The fox boy nodded in agreement. X frowned looking at Terra. There was no way they could find all the treasure. He hoped Terra wasn't going to suggest they try.

"I'll tell ya what, put the stuff that's really special to you in there. That can be your treasure." Terra said calmly. The Lost Boys brightened up visibly, smiles crossing their faces.

"Yeah!" They said in unison.

"Real swell idea. Thanks!" The fox boy said. The two boys hurried to pick up the chest and head off to find Peter again. Terra watched them leave with a soft smile.

"Kinda makes me wonder what I'd put in there." Terra said. X glanced at him then looked back to where the boys had disappeared.

"Yeah, that's an interesting thought." X admitted. When he was a someone he might have had an answer to that. But now, there was nothing he could easily think off. He didn't really have anything precious. He supposed Terra had a few things, but he didn't have a clue as to what.

"Huh, what's that?" Terra asked suddenly. X looked up and followed Terra's gaze. He was surprised to see a black creature with bright yellow eyes. He hadn't seen another Heartless for some time.

"That's a Shadow. It's a Heartless." X explained. Terra looked at X quickly then looked back to the Shadow his eyes wide. His eyes widened even more as the Heartless made a hand gesture that could be considered rude.

"Did that just..." Terra began to ask but trailed off in shock. X blinked a few times beside him.

"Yeah, I think it did." He said. The elite Heartless walked over to his lesser, his hands in his pockets. "What do you want?" X asked annoyed.

The old guy says get to the badlands. He needs your help. The Shadow replied. It quickly sunk into the ground and ran off.

"Oh," X said. He turned to Terra and rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I have to go. Master Xehanort needs me." He explained. Terra nodded.

"I'll meet you later then." He said before turning and walked away. X smirked as Terra walked away. It looked like the act was finally ending.


	27. Chapter XXVI

**Chapter XXVI; Innocence of the Stars**

Y slowly blinked her eyes. She tried to keep them open, but the bright sunlight made her forcefully close her eyes again. It was much too early to wake up she decided. She could wait until Ven came to wake her up for training. Or maybe they had a day off. That would be wonderful.

Hearing voices Y kept in a groan. She curled into her pillow burying her face in it. The pillow was oddly firm and was carrying a scent that was familiar and pleasant. But it wasn't the normal scent.

"Tinker Bell." An unfamiliar voice said.

"Uh, they ain't movin'." Another voice said. Y was certain that wasn't anyone she knew. Y opened her eyes slowly and moved so she could see. She realized she was in a forest somewhere. Not the Land of Departure. Y frowned as she remembered everything that had led to this. So many things that just seemed to pile on top of each other.

"Let's try kickin' them!" One of the voices suggested. Y jumped back at the sound of that, not eager to be kicked. Her face flushed bright red as she saw what she thought had been her pillow was actually Ven. Luckily he was still asleep though that wouldn't be for long as a little girl only a few inches tall was floating in front of him. The girl pulled back her foot and kicked Ven with enough force for her to spin in the air. Ven jumped back it shock, waking very suddenly.

"Who are you?" A boy asked. Y turned to see two boys dressed as animals. One looked like a fox and the other was dressed as a bear. Ven stood and brushed himself off before offering a hand to Y. Y took it and allowed Ven to help her to her feet.

"Name's Ventus. But everybody just calls me Ven. She's Y." Ven introduced. He grinned over at Y. "Guess when we sat down to rest we must have fallen asleep." He said Y. Y nodded, though she was pretty sure they actually crash landed here.

"But where'd ya come from?" The boy dressed as a bear asked. Ven and Y exchanged a nervous glance. They really weren't supposed to answer that. Protecting the world order was of utmost importance.

"Well, you see..." Ven began trying to come up with a lie on the spot. He was saved the effort by the little girl, that Y suspected was a fairy, tugging on the ears of the fox boy harshly.

"All right, all right, we're goin'!" The fox boy said trying to get the fairy to stop her tugging.

"So long, Ven, Y!" The bear boy said as the group turned away to wander off. They seemed to have some goal, almost like they were looking for something together.

"Hey, where are you guys off to?" Ven asked. They stopped for a moment again to answer Ven's question.

"Tink saw a shootin' star and we're gonna go hunt it down!" The bear boy answered. Y assumed Tink was the fairy that was with them. That was probably why she was so impatient.

"A shooting star?" Ven asked in excitement. "Mind if we come along?" He asked.

"Course not. But ya gotta agree to follow us!" The fox boy said.

"Yeah, it's, uh, right over, that-a-way! By the Indian Camp!" The bear boy said, pointing in a direction. Y glanced in that direction. She didn't know why but this place was very familiar. She swore she knew where it was, but she knew she had never been here before.

"Ready, men? Forward march!" The fox boy said before marching off in the direction the other boy had pointed. The group marched together in a straight line with Tink in front, the fox boy following her with the bear boy behind him. Ven followed close behind with Y bringing up the rear.

They stopped their march in a clearing with a hollow tree at the sound of a roosters crow. The group looked up to see a red-haired boy wearing green flying above them. Y felt her jaw go slack as she watched the boy circle them.

"Peter Pan!" The two boys said in unison. Y looked at them in surprise as the other boy landed. Y looked to the boy in green in amazement. That couldn't really be possible. It had just been a story, hadn't it?

"Who do we have here? Never seen them before." Peter asked looking at Ven and Y in interest.

"I'm Y, and he's Ven." Y introduced. Peter looked at them for a moment before shrugging.

"Well, if you say so." He said. He turned to the two boys that Y realized must have been Lost Boys. "Ten-shun! Now then, men. I don't suppose you'd wanna capture some real pirate treasure?" Peter asked. The boys smiled and bounced on their feet.

"Real pirate treasure?" The bear boy asked in disbelief.

"Sure!" The fox boy agreed. Tink kicked both of the boys from behind, her hands on her hips.

"Ow!" Both boys said. Tink ignored them and flew to Peter and began yelling. Or Y thought it was yelling. It just sounded like a ringing bell.

"Tinker Bell, what's gotten into you?" Peter asked.

"Well, we were supposed to go hunt for a shooting star together." Ven explained. Peter glanced at Ven then back to Tink. He frowned and crossed his arms.

"Forget that. Pirate treasure is way more fun. Tink, you're comin' with us!" Peter ordered. Tink only responded by flying off. Peter huffed and looked at Ven and Y. "Well, that's no way to respond to an invitation. C'mon, Ven, Y, you're a better sport than her, right?" Peter asked. Ven frowned and looked after Tink. Y bit her bottom lip in thought.

"I'd love to join you, but first I wanna find the shooting star." Ven decided. Y nodded in agreement. As fun as pirate treasure sounded, she thought finding an actual shooting star would be much more fun. She could barely remember the last time she had seen a shooting star. Had it really only been just before the mark of mastery? It seemed so much longer ago.

"Yeah, I wanna find it too." Y said.

Her and Ven separated from Peter and the Lost Boys following Tink to the Indian camp. Y looked around as they walked. She had always dreamed of this place. She had always begged X to tell her this story. He had been the best to hear stories from. He just had a way getting Y lost in his words.

"I can't believe this is actually Never Land." Y said in awe. She smiled as she remembered her brother's calm voice describing the island as he read from the storybook. She had always imagined it would be this beautiful.

"You know about this place?" Ven asked looking at Y curiously. Y nodded and looked away from the trees to Ven's blue eyes. She felt herself smile for no reason as their eyes met.

"It was my favorite bedtime story. Peter Pan, and the Lost Boys. Wendy, and her brothers. Tinker Bell and all the other fairies. Never growing up." Y explained. She looked away again still smiling.

"Never growing up?" Ven asked. Y nodded.

"On Never Land kids never grow up. They stay kids forever. I wanted that so much when I was younger." Y said wistfully. Watching her eyes Ven thought she was looking somewhere far away.

"And now?" Ven asked quietly. Y's wistful smile fell to a sad frown. Her eyes looked at the ground and Ven swore he saw them glistening with tears.

"I dunno. Just seems kinda hollow." Y admitted. Ven reached out and took her hand without a second thought. Y jumped a little and looked up at Ven. Ven closed his eyes and smiled at her. Y giggled a little bit and found herself smiling yet again.

They found their way to the Indian camp that was oddly empty. Y guessed the Indians were elsewhere on the island at the moment. Y stopped when she saw a strange star-shaped object on the ground. Ven frowned and furrowed his eyebrows together.

"Mickey's Star Shard?" Ven asked. He looked at Y who only shrugged. She hadn't seen Mickey since Radiant Gardens with that little red-haired girl. He had vanished rather suddenly, disappearing into the sky. a sudden laugh made Ven and Y jump and turn back to the camp. Y was surprised to see a pirate in red with black hair and a mustache holding Tink and the Star Shard. The Star Shard was somehow held in the pirates hook.

"A shooting star and a pixie!" The pirate, Y assumed was Captain Hook, laughed.

"Let Tinker Bell go!" Ven demanded as he summoned his keyblade. Y followed his lead, summoning her own keyblade. Hook didn't look all that concerned that they had drawn weapons.

"Two of Peter Pan's brats. Well, tell that cowardly sparrow if he wants his precious Tinker Bell back, he'd best meet me at Mermaid Lagoon." Hook said and ran off quickly. Ven and Y made to follow him but had to stop when a large group of Unversed appeared before them.

"Scram!" Ven ordered in annoyance.

The Unversed, of course, didn't do as they were told. Ven and Y were forced to take out the entire group. After the group was dead Hook was nowhere to be seen. Y groaned in annoyance and ran a hand through her hand.

"And they're gone." Y said.

"Look out below!" A familiar voice called. The two looked up to see Peter above them. He landed in from of them gracefully.

"Peter, help! Tinker Bell's been pixie-napped!" Ven said. Peter frowned.

"Then I'm too late. Hooks gonna pay for this!" Peter said angrily.

"He said he'd be at Mermaid Lagoon." Y supplied. Peters frown only grew as he crossed his arms.

"Gotta be an ambush. Hmph, that old codfish thinks he's clever." Peter said. He took flight circling the area a few times to gain altitude.

"Hey, we're coming too!" Ven called. Peter looked down at them, hovering where he was for a short moment.

"Well, we have to hurry! Can you keep up?" Peter asked. Y couldn't help but smirk. Ven was practically a speed demon and she herself wasn't so bad.

"No doubt." Y said.

The group of three quickly made their way to Mermaid Lagoon. Reaching the Lagoon they were greeted with cannon fire. Y jumped to the side and coughed as dust enveloped them.

"Cannon fire? Where's it coming from?" Ven asked in confusion. Y looked around and spotted the source. A pirate ship on the water. Fortunately, it seemed the cannons had a very poor aim.

"Ship on the water!" Y said pointing toward the ship as another cannonball was fired. This one was so far off that there was no need to even dodge it. A bright glowing light approached them, soon coming in view as Tinker Bell.

"Tink, it's you! And you're alright?" Peter asked as Tink floated in front of his face. Tink replied with her small bell-like voice that Peter understood. "What? A strange fellah with a funny-lookin' sword has-" Peter began to repeat. He was stopped by the ground shaking from another cannon shot. "Hold on, I gotta stop that cannon!" Peter said.

"We'll go after Hook!" Ven said. Peter nodded.

"Right. Tink, if you would." Peter said. Tink nodded then flew circles around Ven and Y, coating them with a light covering of sparkling dust. Ven looked at his arm in confusion. Y smiled brightly, looking at the sparkles now surrounding her.

"What?" Ven asked in confusion, still looking at his arm trying to figure out what the dust was.

"It's pixie dust. Bet you feel lighter now, don'tcha?" Peter asked. He didn't wait for a reply and flew off toward the ship with Tink. Ven turned to Y.

"What does pixie dust do?" He asked. Y laughed in response.

"It makes you fly." She answered. Without a delay, Y began to hover in the air. Ven jumped back in surprise. Y laughed at his reaction which made Ven smile.

"Whoa!" He said. Y laughed again.

"Come on, all it takes is faith, trust, and a little pixie dust." Y said, smiling as she remembered the words from the story. Ven nodded and soon began to hover himself. He laughed in amazement and looked at Y with a smile.

"Well, let's go." Ven said.

The two flew off to find Hook. Being able to fly made it much easier to find the obnoxious pirate. He was standing on the edge of a stone strip in the water looking to where the cannon fire was hitting.

"At last, that scurvy brat will never trouble me again!" Hook exclaimed.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Hook!" Ven said loudly. Hook turned to see Ven. His eyes widened in shock and his mouth fell open. Y couldn't hold back the urge to laugh. Hook had always been a comical villain.

"Swoggle me eyes! No, don't tell me!" Hook cried. He turned to look through a telescope. From the way his face paled Y assumed that he didn't like what he saw. Hook through the telescope down to the ground. "Blast that Peter Pan!" Hook cried. He jumped to the island between the two fling and himself his sword drawn. A sudden ticking sound caused him to tense up and look toward the water. There was a crocodile watching him with hungry eyes. "That sound! No! Not again! S-stay away from me!" Hook yelled. He tried to run away but Ven landed in front of him.

"I don't think so!" Ven said, his keyblade drawn. Y remained in the air her own keyblade drawn.

Fighting Hook turned out to be very easy. Ven handled him on the ground and Y cast magic from above. Eventually, the two pushed him into the water where the crocodile chased him away as he screamed. Y laughed as she watched him run on top of the water toward his ship.

"Ahoy! Look what we brought!" A voice called out. Ven and Y turned to see the two Lost Boys in a rowboat with Peter flying beside them. A chest was in the rowboat with the boys.

"It's a pirate's treasure chest!" The fox boy called out happily. They reached shore and heaved the chest onto the shore. Ven and Y joined the boys around the chest looking at it excitedly.

"Treasure!" Ven said excitedly. Peter nodded and opened the chest. Y tilted her head to the side in confusion. The chest was empty. No treasure at all.

"Huh? How come it's empty?" Peter asked looking at the two Lost Boys. They laughed nervously.

"Uh, sorry, but we losted all the treasures." The bear boy explained. Y sighed and shrugged it off. Not like it would have mattered that much anyway.

"Oh, well... that's too bad." Ven said. He was clearly disappointed but he didn't want to say it. Peter just shrugged it off like Y did.

"Aw, who needs it? It was prob'ly just full of dumb old jewels or doubloons or somethin' anyways." Peter said.

"We could just put what we treasure in there instead- if ya wanna?" The fox boy suggested. Y smiled at the suggestion. That was much better than jewels that could mean anything.

"Yeah, that's perfect! Instead of fillin' it up with jewels and gold and stuff, we'll put in what's truly special to us. The real riches!" Peter said happily. It didn't take long for the chest to be filled with wooden swords and all other sorts of toys. Ven and Y stood off to the side watching with a smile.

"What are you puttin' in, Ven, Y?" Peter asked. Ven and Y exchanged a look.

"I dunno..." Ven said in thought.

"Uhhh." Y said. They both began checking their pockets for something they had. Y had left most of her belongings back at the land of departure. She hadn't really had time to pack a bag before taking off.

"How 'bout this?" Ven suggested. Y looked up to see him holding the old wooden keyblade Terra had given him when he was first learning.

"You've had that with you the whole time?" Y asked softly. Ven nodded in reply looking at the wooden keyblade fondly.

"Hm, what is it?" Peter asked looking at it with interest.

"It's just something that one of my best friends gave me." Ven answered simply.

"So it's like a keepsake, huh? You sure you wanna part with somethin' that special?" Peter asked. Ven nodded without a second thought, which surprised Y.

"Yup. I don't need it if I've got Terra, Aqua, and Y. Our best memories are still ahead." Ven said determinedly. Y smiled at his optimism. He was right. They still had plenty of time. Ven set the keyblade in the chest and backed away still smiling.

"What are you going to put in then, Y?" Peter asked turning to Y. Y blinked in surprise and began searching her pockets.

"Uh, I don't know. Um," Y searched through her pouches and pockets quickly. Her hand brushed against something soft and she stopped. She slowly grabbed hold of the soft object and pulled it out. It was the cat-like plush her brother had given her what felt like centuries ago. "This is all I really have." She said softly.

"It important?" Peter asked. Y nodded.

"Only thing left of my brother. But that's ok." She smiled and put the plush in the chest beside Ven's keyblade. "He's always in my heart." She said softly.

"All right, then. Next time ya visit, we'll have an even bigger chest waitin'. Enough for all those treasures and lots more." Peter said. Ven laughed.

"Ok. It's a deal." He agreed. Tink flew past struggling to hold the Star Shard. "Oh wait, Tink. I'm pretty sure that belongs to a friend of mine. Do you think maybe I could hang onto it?" Ven asked. Tink shook her head and made to fly off.

"Now Tink!" Peter snapped. Tink rolled her eyes and gave Ven the Star Shard.

"Thank you." Ven said. The Star Shard suddenly began to glow, and in a flash of light Ven was gone.

"He's gone!" The fox boy said.

"Look! The light!" The bear boy said, pointing up at the sky. They watched a streak of light zigzag through the air just as Mickey had. Y let out a heavy sigh.

"Oh no." She said.

"Don't worry. No matter where the light takes him. Ven'll always have friends waitin' to meet him." Peter said. Y smiled and nodded. Ven was great at making friends. He would be fine wherever he landed.

"Yeah you're right." Y agreed.

"You want to stay with us for a while?" Peter offered. Y smiled and laughed.

"Yeah, I guess I can do that." She agreed.


	28. Chapter XXVII

**Chapter XXVII; Navigate The Stars**

Y looked around following the two Lost Boys she was playing with. During her short stay she had found out the fox boys name was Slightly and the other was Cubby. She had meant to leave shortly after Ven had flown off. But it was so much fun getting to play games again. Not to mention the hoard of Unversed that still needed to be gotten rid of. As it was she was yet to leave the world.

"Over there!" Cubby yelled pointing towards a tepee. At the base of the tepee was a rolled up piece of paper. The group of three exchanged a look before they took off running each trying to reach the paper first.

"I'm gonna be the leader!" Slightly said. Y laughed in reply still trying to push her way ahead of the boys. She could have easily beaten them, but she did want to keep things almost fair.

"You wish!" Y said, a laugh bubbling up through her chest. She hadn't been given nearly enough opportunities to laugh during her journey. It felt amazing to be able to let go.

Before any of the three could reach the paper it was picked up by a familiar woman with blue hair. The three came to a stop not far from her. Y felt the color leave her face as Aqua looked at the paper and slowly looked at the group. Her blue eyes landed on Y with an unreadable look. Y swallowed nervously. The last she had seen Aqua they hadn't really parted on great terms. Y was supposed to have gone home with Ven. Neither of them had of course, but Aqua hadn't known that until now.

"Uh-oh." Y said as the Lost Boys let out a groan of disappointment.

"We were so close." Slightly said. Aqua turned her attention away from Y to the Lost Boys. She frowned looking at them.

"Too bad, men. Tough break." Y looked up as Peter flew down to meet them, Tinker Bell at his side.

"But Pan!" The Lost Boys complained in unison. Peter silenced them with only a glare as he crossed his arms.

"No buts. You know the rules. The first one to find and claim the treasure map gets to be the leader. And that's you." Peter explained. He turned to face Aqua who jumped a little. She looked at the map in her hand then back to Peter.

"Leader?" She asked in slight disbelief. It didn't surprise Y. Aqua had never been much for playing games. She would always be around to talk to, but if Y and Ven needed an extra person they'd have to find Terra. Aqua had always been the serious one.

"Of the expatition!" Slightly exclaimed.

"Uhh, we're goin' on a treasure hunt. And that's our map you got!" Cubby continued explaining for his friend. Aqua frowned yet again. Beside Peter Tink moved, flying to be directly in front of his face. Y heard the bells that were a give away that Tink was talking.

"Whaddaya mean? I never said girls can't be part of the gang. C'mon, Tink, the more the merrier! Anyway, you didn't throw a fit about Y." Peter objected to whatever it was Tink had said. Y chuckled a little. Tink was a jealous one.

"I'm sorry, but I have something else I need to take care of. Here, you keep it." Aqua said holding the map out to Peter. Y supposed that would mean she would have to follow Aqua. She probably shouldn't be wasting any more time.

"Too bad, but rules are rules." Peter said, refusing to take the map despite a very angry Tinker Bell beside him. "I guess we'll just have to call off the treasure hunt." Peter continued on.

"No!" Both Lost Boys objected. Y hung her head slightly and pouted.

"Awwww." She complained. Aqua looked at the group of three children. She sighed heavily before smiling and looking back to Peter.

"All right, you win. I'll join you for one 'expatition'." Aqua said. Y smiled brightly, practically jumping up into the air. Both Lost Boys followed Y's lead jumping themselves.

"Whoopee!" They cheered. Aqua chuckled and unrolled the map. She studied it for a moment, trying to decide what they were looking for. Or at least where it was.

"As far as I can tell, we're here. And this mark here is where we'll find the treasure." Aqua decided pointing at the map though no one else could see it. Y trusted Aqua's ability to read a map, however, and was not inclined to question what the blue-haired master had said.

"Enough pointin'. C'mon, let's go." Slightly said impatiently.

"Wait a second. We still don't even know our leader's name!" Peter said halting the boys that wanted to rush forward. Peter turned back to Aqua. "I'm Peter Pan. The jealous one over here is Tinker Bell. And you are?" He asked.

"Aqua." She answered with a smile.

"So you're Aqua! Y, why didn't you say she was your friend?" Peter said turning to Y. Y laughed and rubbed the back of her head nervously.

"I'm not supposed to be here alone. Or in general." Y admitted. She noticed Aqua laugh softly, but surprisingly she didn't look mad. "So I thought she was gonna get mad at me." Y finished explaining. Peter nodded and looked back to Aqua.

"Now first stop! Mermaid Lagoon!" He announced before taking flight. The group followed him without question.

They fell into formation with Peter and the Lost Boys in the lead and Aqua and Y following. Y skipped along beside Y humming under her breath. Aqua watched Y in amazement. It wasn't that long ago that Y had seemed so much smaller and much more childlike. It was amazing to see that her heart had grown so much stronger so quickly. Aqua held back a frown remembering her time in the City of Fate. If what they said was true Y wouldn't make it past the year. She would never get any older nor would her heart get any stronger. Aqua knew she couldn't let that happen.

"You've grown," Aqua commented suddenly. Y turned to look at her in surprise, her brown doe eyes wide. She blinked a few times trying to understand what Aqua had said. She looked down at herself frowning.

"Not really." She said slowly. Aqua smiled and laughed a little. Just like always Y seemed to bring a great amount of light into the area. Aqua was just beginning to understand why.

"Not physically. Your heart is stronger." Aqua explained. Y nodded her lips parting in a silent oh. She looked up at the sky with a bright smile.

"I've seen so many worlds. They're all so amazing." Y said breathlessly. Her smile dropped as she looked at Aqua with worry. "You're not like super mad me and Ven didn't go home, are you?" She asked.

"No. I understand a little now." Aqua replied with a soft smile. "You two are growing much faster than I thought." She said. Y flushed and looked away.

"You sound like a mom." Y muttered. Aqua laughed a little at her behavior. She let her smile drop as she remembered what was to come. This might be one of the last times she got to see her friend smile. If what Maru said was true.

"I also had a warning. I saw you're homeworld. Hoshiko told me she had seen you two." Aqua admitted. Y quickly turned her head back towards Aqua. Her brown eyes shone with excitement. Aqua found herself smiling yet again.

"You were there? What did you think?" Y asked.

"It was beautiful. You have some very good friends there." Aqua answered. All the people she had met seemed so sincere. Little Maru who was so kind. And Hoshiko who had really been looking out for the twins. Enough so to know what was coming. "They told me about X." Aqua added. It didn't surprise her to see Y's face fall.

"Yeah. I don't know what to do about that." Y admitted sadly. Aqua frowned fighting her urge to hold Y. She didn't think the young blonde would take kindly to the gesture. Not anymore. She was growing much too fast.

"Where's Ven?" Aqua asked, trying to change the topic. Y shrugged in reply.

"We got separated. He could be anywhere." Y said. She looked up ahead and smiled brightly once again. "We're almost there." She said before walking a little faster to catch up with Peter and the Lost Boys.

Entering the Lagoon the group was greeted with the appearance of Captain Hook. Y fought to hold in her exasperated sigh. This pirate was turning into quite the nuisance. He wasn't even that much of a threat.

"I have you now Peter Pan! Today's the day I shall be rid of you forever!" Hook exclaimed. Aqua tilted her head to the side, confused by everyone's reaction to the pirate.

"Who's that?" She asked. Y tried to think of the best way to answer. An annoyance? A pirate wannabe? Peter Pan's one true enemy? None of those seemed quite right. Luckily Peter had a response.

"Aw, that's just Captain Hook. He's a two-bit pirate codfish." Peter said, clearly brushing Hook off. Hook seemed to be offended by this. He grew visibly red in the face and Y almost saw smoke coming from his ears.

"I'll cleave you into two bits, boy! Smee!" Hook yelled. He ran off as the cannon fire started up yet again. The cannonballs shook the entire cliff face when they hit. Y groaned in annoyance.

"We're sitting ducks out here. Run!" Aqua ordered. No one saw reason to argue and the group sprinted across the Lagoon. After sprinting past where Hook was shooting at them the group ended up at the base of a very high cliff beside a waterfall. The Lost Boys were looking up in fear and Y couldn't blame them. It was a pretty high cliff. And if the map was right. The chest was on top.

"What is it?" Aqua asked as she looked up the cliff with the boys. Y shot her a look of disbelief. Aqua sometimes failed to take into account that others weren't nearly as acrobatic as her.

"The mark on the map points all the way up there." Cubby said pointing up to the top of the cliffs.

"Aw, relax. A little pixie dust, and we'll be up there in a jiffy." Peter said brushing off the young boy's concern. It didn't seem to help the way the boy felt at all.

"But, we've never had to flied that high before!" Cubby said distress rising in his voice.

"What if we fall?" Slightly asked. Peter only glared at the boys and crossed his arms.

"Hey, when did you two turn into cowards?" He asked. Y turned to look at Peter in shock. The boys were reasonably scared. It wasn't like they suddenly decided Hook was the scariest thing in all of Never Land.

"Don't you think you're asking a bit much of them?" Aqua asked looking worried. Y could see her motherly side coming out yet again.

"This is between me and them, Aqua." Peter said simply not even looking in Aqua's direction. Aqua looked taken aback and once again Y saw no blame on her part. "Men, only the bravest of the brave can claim that treasure." Peter continued. Y shook her head and tugged on Aqua's sleeve. The older girl leaned down so Y could whisper in her ear.

"What a douche." Y whispered. Aqua shot Y a playful glare as she straightened up. Y only shrugged in reply.

"Yeah, we know." Cubby said dejectedly.

"Tink, if you would. We haven't got all day!" Peter ordered. Tink flew around the boys and covered them with pixie dust. The boys took flight and followed Peter's lead up to the top of the cliff. Y took flight as well, hovering close enough to Aqua.

Aqua ended up just jumping up the cliff. Y flew beside her, for the most part, encouraging Aqua all the way. Aqua reached the top only a short distance behind the Lost Boys. An impressive feat since she couldn't fly.

"Hey, aren't we back where we started?" Aqua asked as she looked around. Y looked around herself and nodded. This was the gully, the same place their quest had begun.

"Ya mean we went all the way around Never Land for nothin'?" Slightly complained.

"Well, ya conquered all sorts of obstacles to get here. And to me, that's certainly not nothin'." Peter insisted. Aqua laughed a little at those words, but Y couldn't figure out why.

"You know, I had you all wrong. You were just looking out for them back there. Being a good leader." Aqua said.

"Yeah, of course I was." Peter replied. Once again Y was struck with the thought he was too arrogant. Y didn't get a chance to express her concern as she heard the familiar sound of Hooks voice.

"You're too late, Peter Pan! I'll be taking what's mine now." He yelled. he seemed to have found the treasure chest and was going to be keeping it away from them. Y let out an exasperated sigh.

"It's Hook!" Peter said in shock.

"Again, wow. He doesn't give up does he?" Y said calmly. No one seemed to react to her, but Y decided that was fine.

"Smee, secure me treasure." Hook ordered.

"Aye-aye, Cap'n!" Smee said. When the short pirate opened the chest he let out a startled sound. Hook let out an exasperated sigh.

"What is it now?" Hook demanded turning to look at his first mate. Smee only continued to stutter in reply.

"C-cap'n, it's the treasure. It's b-been..." Smee stuttered.

"Spit it out, you idiot!" Hook snapped. He looked into the chest himself and Y swore his eyes got as big around as dinner plates. "Odd's fish! It's all junk!" He exclaimed. Y pouted and crossed her arms.

"Whaddaya mean junk? Those are our treasures, Hook!"Peter snapped.

"But what did you do with MY treasure?" Hook asked angrily. Y rolled her eyes once again.

"Oh, we losted it all." Cubby said calmly. Hook's face once again began to turn red with anger.

"You what!? You scurvy brats have crossed me for the lost time!" Hook yelled. He drew his sword but froze when the all too familiar ticking sound arose. "Hmm? What's that? That sound," Hook turned to see the crocodile and quickly lost all the color in his face. "Not you again! No, get away from me! Smee! Do something! Smee!" Hook cried as he ran away, forgetting all about the treasure.

"Wait, Cap'n!" Smee yelled and ran after his captain.

That is the most convenient crocodile ever." Y decided. Every time she had seen Hook that crocodile managed to appear as well and help chase him off. The entire group burst into laughter and went to retrieve their treasure. Aqua reached out and picked up Ven's keyblade out of the box.

"Is this..." Aqua began to ask. She looked to Y who nodded.

"Oh, Ventus left that here. I guess it's a special keepsake or somethin'." Peter explained. Y laughed softly.

"He said he didn't need it anymore. We had our best times ahead." Y said. Aqua smiled at the thought. She could only hope it was true. As soon as this was over. Maybe they could think of something they could do together. Revisit some of the worlds maybe.

"Ven was here." Aqua said softly. She frowned as she placed the keyblade back in the box. "And someone else." She said a frowning crossing her face. Y frowned as well. What did Aqua know that she didn't?

"What's the matter?" Cubby asked tilting his head to the side.

"It's nothing. Best you stay here." Aqua replied before she began walking away. Y watched her for a moment in confusion. Without a word, Y took off to follow the blue-haired master.

"That's not nothing. Who else is here?" Y asked as she struggled to keep up. Few things were faster than Aqua on a mission. One of those things was Ven when he had just pulled a prank. Another was Y when she was almost late.

"I'm not sure. But, I think it's him." Aqua replied not looking back. Y frowned at her words. Him was not very helpful. There were multiple people that him could apply to. Terra, or X, or Ven, or Master Eraqus, or Master Xehanort, or Mickey, or countless others. Him was the least descriptive term Y could have chosen.

"Who's him?" Y asked. Aqua didn't answer, she just kept running.

They reached the Indian Camp when Aqua finally slowed down. Aqua looked around in a near panic. Y followed her lead, looking for whoever could upset Aqua so much. Y froze when she spotted him. Vanitas was walking toward them with Ven's wooden keyblade in one hand and Y's plush in the other.

"So, have a good time hanging out with the kiddies? And the little princess." Vanitas said calmly. Aqua turned to face him quickly, her blue eyes narrowed in anger. She looked at the toys in his hands in surprise.

"How'd you get those?" Aqua demanded. Vanitas ignored her and looked at Ven's keyblade. He moved his wrist back and forth as he looked at either side of the key. Y felt his gaze move from the key to her.

"I think they've outgrown such childish toys, if you ask my opinion." Vanitas said calmly. Y narrowed her eyes and stepped forward, her fist clenched in rage.

"We didn't. Give them back." Y said. Her voice was much stronger than she thought it would. Vanitas unnerved her. It was a feeling in his gaze. Like she knew him. But she knew there was no way she could have. But something was familiar about him.

Vanitas snickered at Y's commanded. He looked at Ven's keyblade before snapping it in half and tossing the pieces aside. He turned his gaze away from the key to the cat-like plush he held in his other hand by its cape.

"You got this from that brother of yours. Shame he's going to be the one to end you." He said calmly. His gaze turned to Y sending a shiver down her spine. Y glared and clenched her fists even tighter. He had to have been involved. He did this to her brother.

"That's not my brother anymore." Y hissed. Vanitas chuckled at her reply.

"Oh, I'll have to tell him you said that. He'll be disappointed." Vanitas said. He suddenly tossed the plush at Y. Y stepped forward to catch the plush without thinking. She didn't see Vanitas draw his keyblade. She only felt the harsh sting as she was hit with a blast of dark fire throwing her back. Vanitas quickly turned from Y to Aqua. "I've outgrown my use for you." He informed her.

"You freak!" Aqua snapped rage filling her voice as she drew her keyblade. Her blue eyes narrowed and filled with a fire that seemed so out of place on the usually calm keyblade master.

Y couldn't see the fight. She was curled up in a ball trying to fight off the stinging and burning sensation that was spreading across her skin. She could catch her breath enough to cast magic. The pain was to widespread. Y closed her eyes and whimpered in pain. She clutched her plush tightly as a tear escaped from her eyes.

Suddenly a cool calm spread over Y's body. She gasped as her eyes opened. The pain was suddenly gone. Y sat up and looked around. Vanitas and Aqua were still fighting, but Aqua looked to be winning, Vanitas was stumbling back more and more often. Y blinked in surprise and looked down to the Chirithy plush. A faint green light still surrounded it. Y smiled a little. Trust X to come up with something like that.

When Y looked up she saw Aqua collapse onto the ground. Vanitas was nowhere in sight. Y shot to her feet and ran to Aqua.

"Aqua! Aqua!" Y cried as she dropped to her knees beside Aqua. She shook Aqua in fear. She felt her breath catch when Aqua didn't reply. "Aqua! Curaga!" Y said quickly. Aqua slowly blinked open her eyes and sat up slowly. Y hugged her tightly with no warning. Aqua returned the hug without question.

"Are you alright? What happened?" Y glanced over in surprise to see Peter watching them in concern. Y frowned and slowly pulled back from Aqua. She hadn't heard him arrive.

"I'm fine." Aqua said as the two stood. Y held tightly onto Aqua's sleeve. Aqua kept a hand on Y's head in comfort.

"Oh no! Look at Ven's treasure!" Peter said noticing the broken pieces of the wooden keyblade. Aqua knelt down and picked up the handle portion of the keyblade. She smiled softly as she looked at the toy.

"It's ok, Peter. Whatever it is that binds us together isn't going to break so easily, and that's our real treasure. I think Ventus knew that. That's why he left this behind." Aqua said. Y smiled and leaned into Aqua still holding her sleeve.

"You must really be close. And that's somethin' pretty special. You and Ventus, Y, and Terra, was it? One day you should all come back!" Peter said. Y frowned looking at Peter. She didn't remember ever mentioning Terra. Y shrugged it off. Ven must have mentioned him or something.

"I'd like that." Aqua agreed. Y nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, all together." She agreed. She could only hope they got the chance.

* * *

 _A/N: So, a friendly announcement. If you are interested, a ship name for Ven and Y has arisen. A reader on Wattpad and I have decided on Yen. Weirdly enough that's the Japanese currency. Guess that means the ship is worth something._


	29. Chapter XXVIII

**Chapter XVIII; Catch a Falling Star**

X sat on a rock looking down on the dusty wasteland. At his feet was the same humanoid mouse he had fought with the last time he was in the Badlands. The mouse was unconscious this time. Without Ventus in the area X had found it too easy to take down the mouse. He didn't put up nearly as much of a fight. But that might have been due to the hoard of Heartless X had summoned to fight for him.

A keyblade glider landed on the other side of the area. X looked up slowly as the armor was dispelled. Ventus looked around frantically. When he saw Mickey he sprinted toward the mouse. X was amused at the display of worry. Ventus had only met the mouse once, that wasn't really enough to make a friendship. Or X didn't think it was.

"Mickey!" Ventus yelled. He skidded to a stop his eyes finally landing on the young Heartless. X smirked at Ventus and motioned to the mouse. Ventus looked at X with mistrust before he finished running to Mickey. He rolled Mickey onto his back and shook him slightly. Mickey didn't react to the stimulus. He was too out of it. Too close to dead.

"We meet again boy." X looked up to see Master Xehanort looking at Ventus with his hands behind his back. X sighed heavily and leaned back. This wasn't going to end well. Ventus laid down Mickey gently. He glared up at X before turning to face Master Xehanort.

"Master Xehanort." Ventus said. He took a step forward, but stopped suddenly and cried out in pain. He dropped to his knees and held his head in his hands. X smirked, it seemed that some of his memories were returning.

"Ah yes, so you are starting to realize what you lost, oh, but not for good. You had to lose in order to find. Now it can all be yours again, if you only reach out and take it. Reclaim the part that left you. Clash with him! Pure light against pure darkness, to forge the ultimate key. The all-powerful X-blade." Master Xehanort said calmly. Ventus screamed falling to the ground. X held back a snicker.

"Key...blade?" Ven muttered. X flinched a little at the name. He didn't know why that was his goal. They couldn't control Kingdom Hearts without it.

"Not the keyblades you and I carry." Master Xehanort said holding out his hand. A stylized X appeared in the air. "'X' a most ancient letter. Some say 'kye', but the meaning is the same." He closed his fist letting the X disappear. "Death. A letter that spells endings." X held in a laugh at that. He had never known that, Master Xehanort had forgotten to teach him that. It was amusing. Even his name was cursed. Master Xehanort held his hand in the air and summoned a dark portal in the sky above Ventus.

"And I have the power to make it." Ventus said softly from where he lay. X laughed from behind Ventus. He jumped down off the rock and paced around to be in front of Ventus.

"You bet. You and your dark counterpart." X said with a wicked grin. Things were finally coming to a head. They were winning.

"And Eraqus knows it, too. He knows exactly what you are. And your beloved Y." Master Xehanort said. X looked over his shoulder at him with a glare. Ventus didn't need to know about Y's roll in all of this. No one did.

"The Master?" Ventus asked. He pushed himself to his knees looking up at them with a forwn. "And what about Y?" He asked. Despite X's disapproval Master Xehanort continued his explanation.

"Haven't you ever wondered? Why he never granted you or that girl permission to leave his side, to grow stronger? Eraqus was frightened of you. If you were to learn the truth, realize what you are. He never trusted you. Why else would he keep you within his sight at all times?" Master Xehanort said. Ventus narrowed his eyes looking down in confusion. Master Xehanort wasn't wrong. Master Eraqus had to have known.

"Yeah. He never let us see other worlds, no matter how much we asked. But what does Y have to do with any of this?" Ventus asked as he stood up. His blue eyes were demanding, a look that really didn't suite the poor boy.

"Go." Master Xehanort commanded. With a push of his hand, a gust of wind blew past. Ventus was pushed back toward the dark portal. "You can ask the man yourself. Learn the truth, and remember you have a greater purpose!" He commanded. Ventus and Mickey were swept up into the portal that closed soon after they were swallowed. X sighed heavily and turned to face Master Xehanort.

"Did you have to tell him about Y. She doesn't know yet, and she doesn't need to know." X said coldly. Master Xehanort snickered.

"I did not imagine you'd be so protective over a sister you hate so much. She has taken everything from you." He said with a sly smirk. X rolled his eyes. Did the old coot really think he knew the truth. It wasn't hard to put together. He hadn't lost his heart by chance.

"No, you did. But that's not important. This works, I get everything back. It doesn't, I'll slowly kill you." X said. He flashed his eyes bright yellow in warning. Master Xehanort smirked yet again and walked to the edge of the cliff.

"Master Terra. Find me. We must speak at once." Master Xehanort commanded. Terra came very quickly afterward, X had a feeling he hadn't been too far away when he heard the summons. X chewed on his bottom lip, pretending to be scared. He could tell Terra took note of that almost right away.

"Master Xehanort, you wished to see me?" Terra asked.

"There is no time to lose! I've terrible news. Ventus has stumbled upon the secrets of his origins." Master Xehanort said quickly. His voice was filled with false panic.

"Ven? I just saw him, he passed right in front of me. What happened?" Terra asked, the panic spreading into his voice.

"Ventus is on his way home. If you could have seen the fury in his eyes...I'm certain he's capable of anything. I fear the boy may attempt to force the truth out of Eraqus. Master Terra, you must hurry back and see to your friend's safety." Master Xehanort insisted, disregarding the question. X stepped forward.

"Terra, he can't get hurt. Y would-" X began. Terra cut him off gently.

"I know." Terra said. Without another word, he left the world presumably returning to the Land of Departure. X let out a heavy sigh and rubbed the back of his head. Terra was really too easy to trick. X wasn't making too much of an effort to hide his tricks. Terra should have known. Why didn't he?

X shook the thought from his head. He didn't want Terra to know. He needed to remain in the dark just a little while longer. He needed to be ready as a vessel. Master Xehanort had to win. Because if he won X won. Right? No, of course. X didn't know where the sudden doubts were coming from. He had never questioned it until now. Why would he question it when things were going so right?

"Your manipulation has increased in skill." Master Xehanort said pulling X from his thoughts. X snickered and waved off the compliment.

"What can I say. I'm a natural. More I know him the easier it is." X said calmly. The pang in his chest told him otherwise. He was grateful he was such a great liar.

The Land of Departure was still one of X's least favorite worlds. It was too bright for him. From the top of the stairs leading into the forecourt, X and Xehanort watched as Terra and Eraqus exchanged words of remorse. X rolled his eyes in exasperation as he heard talk of darkness. He was really tired of this. Light over darkness. Talk like that lead to wars.

X was surprised when Master Xehanort shot a bit of magic at Master Eraqus. When it hit Master Eraqus he fell forward into Terra's arms and dissolved into light. X supposed his heart was returning to Kingdom Hearts like all hearts eventually did.

"Master Eraqus!" Terra cried out. Tears fell in a constant pitter-patter onto the ground as Terra grieved for his fallen master. X laughed at his tears. It made no sense. The man had just tried to kill Terra and now he was crying he was dead. Terra looked up at the sound of X's laugh. His blue eyes were filled with confusion as he met X's eyes.

"What a sight. Why do you trouble yourself with remorse, Master Terra? The man was bent on doing harm to your friend, his own pupil!" Master Xehanort said calmly. Terra turned his attention to the old master. X sighed once again.

"To be honest, I'd have lept at the chance to do the old man in. He was too blinded by his precious light." X said honestly. Terra returned his gaze to X once again. X only smiled at Terra. Terra ground his teeth and returned to glaring at Master Xehanort.

"Master Xehanort! Why?" Terra demanded. Master Xehanort shook his head.

"You know, at times I find your progress quite striking. But you still fall short. Let all that anger out, my boy. Give your heart over to darkness!" Master Xehanort insisted. He was ignoring Terra's question yet again. But that wasn't surprising.

"What do you mean?" Terra said. He got to his feet and summoned his own keyblade. X rolled his eyes. Couldn't have a civil discussion without one of those things getting involved, could they?

"Still so blind. Then I will make you see. Come to the place where all keyblade wielders leave their mark on fate, the Keyblade Graveyard!" Master Xehanort said as he summoned his own keyblade. It was a precaution in case Terra attacked. "There you will watch your dear Ventus, Aqua, and Y meet their ends, and the last light within you will die!" He said before turning to X. " X, find the keyhole." X rolled his eyes and paced back looking around the world. He could find the keyhole. But that would take more time then they had.

"Not worth the energy to find." X said. He put up his hand and shot a beam of darkness into the sky. It became a large orb that quickly began to consume the world. "I don't need such a low-rank method to destroy this place. Say goodbye to home, Master Terra." X said looking over his shoulder at Terra with a smirk. Terra could only stare at him in shock.

"What? X! Why are you doing this!?" Terra asked. X burst into laughter and doubled over clutching his chest. He turned around to face Terra again and wiped a tear from his eye. He hadn't laughed that hard in a long time. It was a refreshing feeling.

"For fun." X said calmly. He had to hold in another bout of laughter as he watched Terra's face fall. He was finally getting it. "Watching you start to trust me, believe a creature with no heart. Shoulda listened to Kiran. I can't wait to see you and all your friends die." X said coldly. He smirked as Terra clenched his fist and darted forward at X.

X sighed and sidestepped the attack, sending a wave of darkness at Terra from the side. Terra turned back to X again and made to attack him once again. X shot forward under Terra's guard and sent a pulse of darkness off his hand through Terra's stomach. Terra stumbled back in shock, coughing as he did so.

"Save it for the graveyard. Maybe when I'm done with Y I can play with you a little bit." X said calmly opening a dark corridor. Terra looked at X, his face slowly losing all its color. X chuckled once again.

"No, not, not Y." Terra said. X shrugged.

"What can I say. We have the biggest sibling rivalry the worlds have ever seen to settle." He said. He waved one last time before walking through the dark corridor and leaving Terra in the dying world. X let out a deep breath as the corridor closed behind him.

This was it.

* * *

 _A/N: And thus starts the super short chapters leading up to the end. The next two chapters are going to be really short. I could combine them into one, but I feel they'll be better as stand alones. The tone for each one is really different, so probably not a good idea to mix them._


	30. Chapter XXIX

**Chapter XXIX; One Sky**

Y had a bad feeling that she couldn't shake. Her chest felt tight and a thought kept creeping into the back of her mind telling her something was about to go very wrong. What that something was Y had absolutely no clue. But things were about to go wrong. And she and her friends would be in the center of it.

Y was trailing behind Aqua in the lanes between. She didn't know where they were going. She assumed Aqua was taking her home. She hadn't said anything about it to Y. She hadn't really said much since the encounter with Vanitas. But Y could only think that made Aqua all the more determined to get Y and Ven home before they could get hurt. Well, even more hurt.

Y looked up suddenly. In front of them was a bright light. Warmth radiated from the light chasing the nagging thoughts from Y's mind. Y smiled softly glancing over at Aqua.

"What's that light?" Aqua asked softly. Y shrugged even though she knew Aqua couldn't see her. She looked back to the light and her smile grew. She felt like everything was going to be alright somehow. She just had to trust this strange light.

"I dunno, but its so, warm." Y said slowly.

The light turned out to be a world. A beautiful island with crystal clear waters. The sun was setting, casting a red glow to the sky. A soft breeze gently blew past moving the many palm trees around them. It brought with it the scent of salt water. Y took a deep breath and looked around. They were on a bridge. Not far away was a palm tree with a strange star-shaped fruit. Y gasped and reached to her pocket. She pulled out her wayfinder, running her hand over the cool pink glass. She felt she hadn't looked at the charm for a long time. It surprised her to see she had missed a detail everytime she had looked at it. Around the heart in the center was a soft yellow that faded into the pink.

Y looked beside her to Aqua who had also taken out her wayfinder. Y smiled at her. She had done so much for them. Y had never really thought of it before, but Aqua always did so much. It was one of the greatest things about her.

"Found it." Y said softly looking back to the star-shaped fruit. She wondered if it really worked. If all four of them were here Y would try it. But it wouldn't be the same without the boys. Aqua smiled beside Y and looked down at her wayfinder.

"Terra, Ven, I hope we're ready for the storm that's coming." Aqua said so softly Y almost didn't hear her. Y felt her smile drop. The storm was coming. Much too quickly. Y couldn't say for certain any of them were ready. It had happened much too quickly to be prepared for.

Y was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of a young boy's voice.

"Hey, wait up!"

"Too slow, Sora! See ya at the finish line!" Another boys voice called back to the first. Looking down Y saw two boys racing on the beach. They stopped not too far from the bridge Y and Aqua stood on. One boy had brown hair while the other had silver hair.

"One more time! You just got lucky." The brown-haired boy said. The silver-haired boy didn't answer his friend. Instead, he looked up at Aqua and Y. Y smiled at him softly. Aqua smiled and jumped down from the bridge and landing in front of the boys. Y tilted her head to the side before following Aqua down to the sandy beach. Y landed in a crouch and decided to stay in that position so she was closer to the boy's height. She looked up and found herself eye to eye with the brown-haired boy. His bright blue eyes were wide with shock. Y smiled at him. He returned the smile after a second and began to laugh just as Y did.

Y stopped laughing and looked at the brunette with a smile. His eyes were very familiar. But she couldn't place it right away. Her smile grew when she realized. Ven.

He looks like Vanitas, different coloring, but when's he's older no doubt. Y thought to herself looking over the boy. His hair was even spiked the same way. She was glad his heart seemed to be filled with light. But, his heart. It's so light. Just like Ven.

Y shifted her gaze to the other boy. His eyes were an aqua green color. He looked at them curiously. She didn't know how she knew, but there was something special about this boy. He's already chosen. Y thought. He was going to be a wielder one day. Must have been Terra. I can practically see the similarities.

Y and Aqua looked at each other and laughed softly. Y didn't have to ask. Aqua saw it too. Or at least some of it. The boy's both made a sound of confusion.

"One of you might be special enough. Hey, you two mind telling us your names?" Aqua asked. The brown-haired boy jumped to answer her, grinning broadly.

"I'm Sora!" He said happily. Y chuckled a little and looked to the other boy. He was still looking at them with curiosity. It almost reminded Y of years ago. When she and X had been young. X had been a lot like this boy.

"And what about you?" Y asked.

"Riku." The boy replied. Y chuckled and leaned over to Aqua.

"Terra must have been here. He already has it." Y whispered. Aqua nodded in agreement looking at the two boys in thought.

"Sora do you like Riku?" Aqua asked. Sora jumped again in excitement for being asked a question.

"Of course I like him, he's my best friend!" Sora said. Y smiled at his insistence. They were going to be friends for a long time. Y had a feeling Sora wouldn't just let Riku leave.

"Good. So then, if something happens, and Riku is about to get lost- or say he starts wandering down a dark path alone- you make sure to stay with him and keep him safe. That's your job, Sora, and I'm counting on you to do it, okay?" Aqua asked. Sora tipped his head to the side in confusion. Y chuckled at his confusion.

"She makes it sound kinda scary. But it's super easy. Just stay his friend no matter what." Y explained. Sora smiled and nodded in reply. Aqua gently patted the boys on the head and sent them away.

Aqua and Y went back up the bridge to a smaller island off the coast of the one they were on. In the distance, Y saw what was probably an even larger island. Y and Aqua sat beside each other on a tree that was bent out over the water. They watched the sunset in silence. Before long Y found herself humming. She used to sing all the time for her friends. She hadn't in a long time. And now seemed like a time they would have needed it. For Ven to avoid his nightmares. For Terra to relax a little. And for Aqua soothe her overactive mind.

 _My Dearly Beloved_

 _Be strong, I shall be there_

 _Always here beside you_

 _So, keep your head held high,_

 _The shadows of this world_

 _Will try to steal you away into their arms_

 _But you belong in mine_

Y couldn't bring herself to sing anymore. But Aqua seemed to have calmed down a little. She didn't seem so tense anymore.

"One keyblade is enough for any friendship. I learned it the hard way. I wouldn't wish our lives on those children." Aqua said suddenly. Y blinked and turned to look at Aqua in confusion.

"I'm sure everything will work out." Y said hopefully. She frowned and looked down at the water. "But, you're right. We all get so convinced we're the ones walking the right path we forget there is more than one right way." Aqua nodded and looked down at her wayfinder.

"What's to become of us?" Aqua asked.

What indeed, Y thought.


	31. Chapter XXX

**Chapter XXX; Hiraeth**

The lanes between seemed colder than normal when Y and Aqua left the island world. Without the warm sunlight, it seemed like everything had stopped. Y didn't know what to attribute it to. But she knew the feeling was back. The nagging in the back of her head. Time was ticking. Things would end soon. And they wouldn't end pretty.

"Is that Mickey?" Aqua asked suddenly. Y looked up and looked ahead. Floating in front of them was a form that looked like it was Mickey. He was unconscious and Y suspected he wasn't supposed to be here at all.

"I, think so." Y said. Aqua flew her glider over to the mouse and pulled him onto her glider. Y frowned. Mickey didn't look so good. He was covered in scuff marks and scratches. It was like he had gotten into a fight and lost. Badly.

"How'd this happen?" Aqua asked. Y frowned and muttered a healing spell.

"I'm not sure we want to know." She said as she watched some of the scrapes and bruises heal over. She didn't want to say it, but some of the scratches looked a lot like some kind of monster put them there. And a long thin cut looked a lot like a dagger had been drug across the skin.

"Master Yen, Sid." Mickey muttered suddenly. Aqua frowned and nodded.

"Don't worry. I'll take you back to him." Aqua decided.

Yen Sid's world was small. With only the crooked tower on a small patch of land. Y looked up at the tower as the approached the door. This was a place for wisdom. Maybe Master Yen Sid would know something about what was to come. Maybe he would be able to point them in the right direction.

In the top room of the tower, Aqua and Y found the old Master with two humanoid animals much like Mickey. One was a dog with a silver helmet and the other was a white duck dressed like a mage. When Aqua set Mickey on the floor without a word the two animal dropped to their knees next to him.

"King Mickey." The duck said. Y blinked and frowned. The duck was kinda hard to understand but she swore he just said, king.

"King Mickey." The dog said. Y blinked once again. She hadn't misheard. Mickey was a king. And he had failed to mention it. Y wasn't sure how she felt about that. But there were more important matters to attend to. Aqua and Y stood in front of Master Yen Sid's desk waiting for him to speak.

"Aqua, Y, the stars bring me grave news. Master Eraqus's star has blinked out. I'm afraid that means he has been struck down." Master Yen Sid said. Y looked up at him, her lips parting as she took in a sudden gasp of breath.

"What?" Y asked softly. They couldn't be right. He had to be fine. Y still had to go home. She had to apologize for running away and try to explain herself. She wasn't a master yet either. He had to be there for that. He had always promised that he would.

"The Master? But, who is responsible?" Aqua asked. Her voice betrayed her feelings. Like Y she couldn't believe it. The Master had always been there. He was too strong to be defeated. Master Yen Sid closed his eyes slowly.

"Master Xehanort, his Heartless follower, and Terra." He said. Y felt the color drain out of her face. She wasn't sure she was even breathing anymore. X. He had done this. He was responsible. Aqua gasped and shook her head before slamming her hands on Master Yen Sid's desk.

"No! That's absurd! Terra would never!" Aqua insisted.

"I hope with all my heart that you are right about your friend. There are some things even the stars cannot tell me." Master Yen Sid said simply. Y had a feeling he didn't mean that. He knew. He had to know.

"X must have tricked him." Y said softly. Aqua glanced to Y quickly before looking back to Yen Sid.

"Where is he? Where can I find Terra?" Aqua asked. Master Yen Sid sighed heavily and looked at Aqua calmly.

"Terra's heart is leading him to the ancient Keyblade Graveyard, where wielders of those weapons once waged war." He answered. Y frowned. She had heard stories of that world. She knew the stories of the war all too well. Hoshiko had practically pounded them into her head for some reason. She always said Y would need those stories one day. Maybe she was right.

"All right. I have to go after him, and see if its true." Aqua said. She turned away and began walking for the door. Y only watched. She wanted to go with her, but there was something else she had to do first.

"Be on your guard." Master Yen Sid cautioned. Aqua stopped and nodded. She let out a deep breath before she continued on her way out the door. As soon as she was out of the room Y turned to Master Yen Sid.

"Master Yen Sid. My brother, how do I stop him?" Y asked. Yen Sid studied Y for a moment and it unnerved her. But she did her best not to show her nerves.

"As it stands, you must face him head-on. Only you can end his suffering." Master Yen Sid said. Y frowned. End his suffering. She wanted him to suffer. He had taken everything from her. Or he was in the process of taking everything. She wouldn't let him do that. She couldn't let him.

"What if I want him to suffer?" Y asked quietly. Master Yen Sid was silent for a moment. Y didn't look up at him to see his facial expression. She didn't want to see what he thought of her.

"Your heart does not truly wish that. But if that is what you believe, the answer is still the same." Master Yen Sid finally said. Y nodded and turned to follow after Aqua. "Be warned. I do not believe it wise for you to go to the Graveyard." He said. Y paused for a moment and looked over her shoulder at him.

"All my friends are going to fight. I can't just run away." Y said simply. She left the room and let out a breath like Aqua had. After a moment Y took off down the stairs trying to catch up with Aqua. Y managed to reach the bottom of the stairs just as Aqua was walking out the front door.

"Aqua! Wait!" Y called. Aqua stopped out front and turned to face Y. Aqua frowned looking at the young blonde.

"Y, go back upstairs and wait for me to come back." Aqua said. Y crossed her arms and set her jaw.

"No!" Y snapped. Aqua stepped back in surprise. She went to speak, but Y cut her off. "Aqua I know how you feel, but I am not a child! You can't just leave me here waiting for you! What if you don't come back? What if you all die and I'm just waiting? What if I could do something?" Y asked. Aqua shook her head sternly.

"Y, you don't understand-" Aqua began. She didn't want Y to die. If she went to the Keyblade Graveyard, she was bound to. Aqua knew it. If X and Y clashed only one would make it out. And it wouldn't be Y. Y, however, cut her off again.

"No Aqua, you don't seem to get it. Whether you want me to go or not I am. So you can either accept it, or fight with me the whole way." Y said simply. Aqua looked at Y with a soft frown. Y had grown so much. She was so willful now. Aqua remembered when she first met Y. Y had been so shy. So afraid. Now she was stubborn. Unbelievably so. Her heart had only gotten strong through the journey. With each shake her heart had received she came back even stronger. Aqua sighed and looked away.

"Fine." Aqua said softly. She looked back up to Y, her blue eyes turning stern in an instant. "But promise me, promise you won't fight your brother. Leave him to me." Aqua pleaded. Y blinked and looked down. She sighed and looked up.

"I promise." Y agreed. Behind her back her fingers crossed.


	32. Chapter XXXI

**Chapter XXXI; War of Hearts**

Aqua and Y landed in a desolate wasteland. As far as the eye could see keyblades were stabbed into the ground. A path was cleared between the keys, eventually making a crossroads. Y looked around in awe. Her chest felt tight as she slowly realized. All of these keys used to belong to someone. Someone who had died. A tear escaped her eyes and fell down her cheeks as her eyes landed on a pink key with a swirling rod crossed with a key that reminded Y of lightning.

Aqua summoned her keyblade. Y looked at her in surprise before following her lead. She felt a strange hum quake along the blade when she drew it. Perhaps the key knew this place. Perhaps the key was sad too.

"The four of us will always be one." Aqua said not looking at Y. Y nodded and looked ahead. She took a steadying breath before speaking.

"Friends, no family, until the end." Y said softly.

Aqua and Y began walking down the path toward the crossroads. Y soon saw another figure standing at the crossroads watching them approach. As they got closer Y realized it was Terra. He looked much older than the last time she had seen him. His blue eyes were filled with sadness and pain that Y had never thought he would have to see.

"I was told, the Master was struck down." Aqua said as they reached Terra. The sadness in his eyes only grew.

"Yes, that's right. I was stupid and helped Xehanort do it." Terra admitted with a strained voice. Aqua gasped in shock. Y could only try to remember how to breathe. "The Master, he tried to hurt Ven. I only fought because I wanted to protect him. But I was tricked. Xehanort set the whole thing up, all so he could awaken the darkness inside me. You were right, Aqua, and so was the Master. I did need to be watched. I went astray, but no more." Terra continued. Aqua looked down and shook her head sadly. Like Terra she suddenly seemed much older. This journey had changed them.

"What else is darkness but hate and rage? Xehanort is feeding the dark fires within you, making you fight. You'll go astray again. Tell me, how does that honor our Master's memory, Terra?" Aqua asked. Terra didn't reply. Y sighed and shook her head.

"Guys. It doesn't matter. Everyone has darkness, and we have a right to be angry. Xehanort might have started this. But it's up to us to finish it now. Darkness or not." Y said firmly. Terra looked away from her and took in a shocked breath. Y looked where he was looking. She wasn't surprised to see Ven slowly making his way toward them.

Ven stopped beside Terra looking down at the ground. He took a deep breath before sharing his news.

"Xehanort wants me and Vanitas to fight and make some kind 'X-blade'. But the Master said we can't let that happen, and he tried to destroy me for it." Ven explained. Y felt her heart clench at the name of the weapon. That couldn't be a good thing.

"X-blade?" Aqua asked in confusion.

"I still don't know exactly what it is. But it scares me to death. Even just the thought of it." Ven admitted. Y reached out and took his hand without a thought. Ven didn't return the pressure right away. He eventually did and Y felt herself release a breath she hadn't known she was holding. They had been together through so much. Training with Master Eraqus. Fighting Unversed in Radiant Gardens. Helping out in Olympus Coliseum. Chasing pirates in Never Land. Getting lost in the maze at Disney Town. Y felt her face heat up at the thought of that memory. It would be a shame for things to end here.

"Relax, Ven. We're here and we're gonna take care of you." Terra said calmly, bringing Y out of her thoughts.

"I may have to fight Vanitas after all. If I do, guys, I want you to-" Ven began. Terra cut him off before he could finish. Y was glad Terra did. She knew where that was going.

"The four of us can never be torn apart, all right? I'll always find a way." Terra insisted. Ven just shook his head.

"I'm asking you, as a friend. Just, put an end to me." Ven said. Y tightened her grip on Ven's hand making him look up at her. When his eyes met hers she was struck with the same thought she had had when she saw the other two's eyes. They looked older.

"No. We all go down or none of us do. There is no other choice." Y said simply. Ven parted his lips as if he meant to say something but he closed his mouth and nodded slowly.

A sudden bit of wind made the group of four look up. They all tensed up when they saw two others approaching from the last fork of the crossroads. One was clearly Xehanort. The old man was leaned forward as always his hands behind his back. To his left side was X. The blonde Heartless was clearly more at ease here than he had ever been any other time they had seen him. All the tenseness in his shoulders that Y hadn't noticed until now was gone. His purple eyes were lazily surveying over the group. They landed on Y and lit up with malicious intent. Even more so when he saw her hand in Ven's.

Vanitas appeared suddenly beside Xehanort on the right side. The group of three walked to the crossroads and stopped. There was a tense silence as each side waited for the other to make the first move.

"Behold... These lifeless keys used to be full of power, united with the hearts of their masters. On this barren soil, keyblades of light and darkness were locked in combat as a great keyblade war raged. Countless keyblade wielders gave up their lives, all in search of one, ultimate key. And it will soon belong to me..." Xehanort said motioning to the keys around them. He smirked and pointed to Ven "X-blade." He said simply.

"Technically that's Ventus." X said calmly his voice playful. He glanced around Xehanort to see Vanitas. "We still have Vanitas, too." He continued. Xehanort glared at X, but he only laughed and looked up to the sky. "Patience old man. She'll be here, I can already hear her." He said. Y frowned. What could he mean? Who was she?

Y didn't put much thought into it. In unison, all four equipped their armor. Y was sorry to let go of Ven's hand. But she guessed it was time to fight. Ven was the first to rush forward. Before he could get very far Tera pushed him back and jumped forward himself. As Terra was about to swing his keyblade at Xehanort the old man raised his hand and brought up a tower of rock that sent Terra skidding across the ground. Xehanort and Vanitas rose up on yet another spire of earth. But Y didn't pay attention to them. Her eyes had locked onto her brother.

X smirked at her and raised one of his hands. He curled his fingers toward himself with a mocking smirk on his face. Y ground her teeth together before she jumped toward him. She heard Aqua cry out to her, but she ignored it. It was time to end this.

X dodged Y's first strike and jumped away into the sea of keyblades. Y followed him swinging her key and trying to land a hit. X continued to dodge her every move. They had trained together for too long as children. He knew all her tricks.

"Light!" Y cried hoping at least one of the light beams would hit X. She was lucky and one did. X skidded to a halt beside a keyblade made of dark swirls. X looked up at her a smirk still on his face. Y felt her blood boil. She'd do anything to make him lose that smirk.

"I hate you." Y hissed. She felt tears streaming down her face under her helmet. But she wouldn't let him know that. It would only fuel his mockery. X was frowning tilting his head from side to side and looking up as if weighing Y's words. He looked back to Y with the same smirk he had had the entire fight.

"Nah, not possible." X decided.

"That's where you're wrong. If you were still my brother I wouldn't but you're not him anymore. You're just a monster that wears his face." Y said fighting to keep herself calm. X laughed and shook his head. Y realized suddenly. This was a game. He was playing with her.

"Such a chatterbox. Always thought that was annoying." X said. He looked back at her once again his smirk gone. It was replaced with a look that made Y's skin crawl. Like he was deciding how best to kill her. How to tear her into little tiny pieces.

"What do you intend to do here? Why does he want the X-blade so badly?" Y asked hoping to spare herself sometime. She needed to make a plan. She couldn't take him out without one.

"You feel it, don't you?" X asked in return. Y frowned looking at him with a frown. "The tie to that cursed blade. If we get the key we can open the door." X continued to explain calmly.

"The door?" Y asked. What he said, though it sounded like nonsense Y knew it wasn't. That was the feeling her keyblade had. It was telling her something was here. Something was coming.

"Kingdom Hearts." X said. Y's eyes widened in shock.

"Are you suicidal? Of everything to desire." Y said in disbelief. X shrugged his hands going up as well to exaggerate the motion.

"I don't care about what the old coot wants. He wants to destroy the worlds, who gives a damn? I don't." X said. He paced around weaving between the keyblades as he did so. Y watched him, carefully calculating her next move. "I don't care about anything anymore. If we open Kingdom Hearts, everything will be fixed. We'll get salvation. So what if a few worlds fall and a few wielders die. At least I'll be your brother again, and not this hollow shell. Actually, not even a hollow shell. Just the remains of his pitch-black heart. Wouldn't you rather have him back over a few worlds and these new friends?" X asked turning to face Y. Y glared at him.

"No. I'd rather have it all." Y said simply. X laughed looking at her with his playful smirk yet again.

"Greedy little princess. This'll be fun to break you." X decided.

Y shot forward and pulled several keyblades from the ground and threw them toward X. X ducked and jumped back. Y shot forward to hit him but was surprised when he key clashed with a piece of metal that wasn't X's daggers. Y jumped back and looked at X. She gasped when she saw in his hands was a keyblade. The rod was made of swirling patterns. The teeth of the key was a crescent moon-like shape with three spikes on the inside. X was looking at the keyblade with interest.

"How can you do that? How do you have a keyblade?" Y asked. X laughed and shook his head.

"Look around you sister mine," X said motioning to the thousands of keys around them. "They're everywhere, not hard to pick one up and cast it aside." He continued. He stabbed the black key back into the ground and summoned his daggers.

X was next to move, pushing Y back. Y quickly found his rhythm and countered with her own string of attacks. X was able to turn the attacks on Y quickly. It was no surprise that he could do that as easily as Y. He still had a remnant of her twin. And that meant they were still like one soul in two bodies.

Y once gain threw several keyblades at her brother. X easily wove through them and launched at her. His daggers sparked off her armor, but Y still felt the force through her entire body. X laughed a little as he stepped back. His eyes were looking over at the other fights.

"Your little boyfriend looks to be struggling. Wonder if he's worried about you." X said calmly.

"Shut up." Y snapped and shot forward again. With a blast of magic X was thrown back into the hilt of a keyblade that looked something like a sword with a unicorn on its hilt. X groaned in pain, but it quickly turned into a laugh.

"Really got to stop getting stabbed in the back by that one." He remarked offhandedly. Y frowned at his words but didn't give it much thought.

She attacked again trying to gain the upper hand. X responded with smashing the front of her helmet in. Y jumped back and pulled off the helmet. Some of the glass and metal had shattered back, cutting her face. X smirked once again.

"You were crying. How sweet." X said. Y didn't respond. X rolled his eyes once again. "You know, the armors a little unfair. I can't really get a good hit and you're tearing me up." He continued.

"You should know I don't fight fair." Y said. X chuckled bitterly and sighed.

"Yeah." He agreed. Within the blink of an eye X was suddenly in front of Y holding her up by her throat. Y gasped for air and dropped her key so she could claw at X's hands. X laughed at her and shook his head. "I'm sick of playing with you. What do you say we get this show on the road?" He asked. Y only gasped.

X laughed and pulled back his other hand. With a great deal of force, he forced his hand past the armor into Y's chest. Y gasped once again but stopped struggling. It was so cold. Like ice was flooding through her veins. Y slowly closed her eyes and stopped struggling. It was ok she guessed. They were twins after all. What's hers was his, and what's his was hers. Why should their hearts be any different?

X frowned as he pulled out his hand. He released Y's throat and dropped her onto the ground. Y fell over and laid on the ground her breath slowly coming to a halt. In X's hand was a small orb of white light. It was smaller than the last heart X had taken. The heart in his hand slowly blew away as dust in the wind. Above the battlefield, the clouds parted revealing a blue heart-shaped moon. X looked up at the moon with a smirk.

A cry of pain caused X to jerk his head to the side. He managed to just avoid an attack from Aqua. X groaned in annoyance.

"You are not my problem. Was Braig really so useless he couldn't beat you?" X asked.

"Bring her back. Bring her back now." Aqua demanded. X rolled his eyes and stepped back.

"It doesn't work that way. She's gone. And she's not going to come back no matter how much you beg." He said calmly. He waited for Aqua to attack but she didn't. She was shaking, tears streaming freely down her face.

"She was your sister." Aqua said. X laughed.

"Then you shouldn't be surprised." He said. He stepped back and summoned a dark corridor. He stepped inside the corridor and saluted Aqua. "See you on the other side. Maybe." He said as he vanished into the darkness.

His part was done, now it was up to the other two.

* * *

 _A/N: And that's it for the final battle, my friends. There are a couple more chapters after this that will only add to the pain. As I predicted I cried at least once writing this. It was a long-awaited chapter to write and really I'm pretty proud of how it turned out. X really was an asshole this entire chapter. I think he broke or something cause that was really weird. Anyway, a couple more chapters that I already have done and then it's on to Kingdom Hearts II. Finally!_

 _As a side note to Gry22, I absolutely loved the idea you left for me. In fact, I loved it so much I do want to use it. Just not in this chapter, and not in this story. I have a few other stories planned out, and I have the perfect place for it, if you don't mind me borrowing the idea._

 _Anyway, thank you all for the support. It means a lot to me. I love every single review I get._


	33. Chapter XXXII

**Chapter XXXII; Sanctuary**

The little girl with red hair looked up at the sky with awe watching the twinkling stars. She stood on her tip toes as if trying to get closer to the stars. She was in the Outer Gardens standing on the edge of the fountain in the center. A bright smile was on her face, causing the light of the stars to be reflected in her bright blue eyes.

"Kiu, you know you're not supposed to be out here alone." A familiar voice said. Kiu turned quickly to see an older red-haired boy watching her with his hands behind his head. She smiled at him and giggled a little bit before looking back up at the stars.

"Lea, what do you think stars are?" Kiu asked. Lea sighed and crossed the garden to her sitting on the fountain beside where she stood. He leaned back and looked up at the stars with her. His bright green eyes locked onto one star as he thought.

"Well, your grandma says that all the stars are different worlds." He decided. He glanced to Kiu who was still staring up at the stars in amazement. He smirked a little before looking back at the stars. "She also says the light is from the heart of the world." He added.

"So they're kinda like us," Kiu said. Lea chuckled at the little girl and nodded. He didn't know how she had understood something like that so quickly. Or how that made any sense to her. He still wasn't sure he believed what Kiu's grandmother had said. But he wasn't going to spoil the kids fun. "Lea look! It's a shooting star! Hurry we gotta close our eyes and make a wish!" Kiu said suddenly pointing up at the sky. Sure enough where she pointed was a bright streak of light. Lea chuckled as he glanced over to see Kiu's eyes shut tightly. He sighed before closing his own eyes.

Kiu was surprised when she opened her eyes. She was no longer in the Outer Gardens. Instead, she stood on a stained glass platform. Light shined up through the floor. The glasses pattern was Kiu her eyes closed and a hand placed over her heart. Surrounding her was a large group of shadow like creatures reaching toward her. Behind the creatures looked to be a blue light of some kind.

Kiu, however, wasn't looking at the stained glass. She was looking at a strange orb of darkness floating in front of her. Kiu stepped forward and cupped her hands around the orb. It stung a little to touch, but Kiu ignored it and looked at the dark light in wonder.

"Oh, are you ok?" Kiu asked, her head tilting to the side in wonder. She looked at the orb a little closer trying to decide what it was. The stinging sensation in her hands remained as if her hands were numb. The pins and needles were uncomfortable, but Kiu decided helping this heart was more important.

"Annoying." A voice echoed through the platform. Kiu smiled at the orb as she recognized the voice.

"Oh! It's you." Kiu said happily. She looked over the orb again in interest. The stinging sensation increased causing Kiu to grimace. "What happened?" Kiu asked, still smiling.

"None of your concern Princess." The voice said once again. Kiu felt an extra sharp sting in her hands that almost made her pull them away. But she didn't. It was just his negativity. It would fade eventually.

"Ok, do you need help?" Kiu asked. The voice didn't reply, but she felt the sting in her hands fade. Uneasiness rolled off the orb telling Kiu all she needed to know. He didn't want to ask for her help. Just like before. But that was ok. Kiu laughed, moving one hand to cover her mouth. "That's ok! I'll help you, just like I promised. You need a place to stay, right?" She asked. Once again she received no reply from the voice. "You can stay here. I'll help you get better again." She said with a bright smile.

"Whatever Princess." The voice replied. Kiu smiled, then quickly dropped her smile. She returned her attention back to the orb.

"Oh, I don't know your name." Kiu said. There was a pause between the two. Kiu almost thought that meant she wasn't going to get an answer at all. She was surprised when he did in fact answer. She smiled and laughed once again. "Ok. Get better soon. I'll keep you safe until then." she replied to the voice.

Kiu opened her eyes again and found herself back in the Outer Garden. Lea was looking at her with concern. Kiu beamed down at him and hopped off the fountain wall.

"You ok kid?"Lea asked. Kiu nodded her head in reply. Lea laughed and shook his head. He held his hand out to Kiu as he stood up. "Come on, need to get you home before your grandma has a heart attack." Kiu laughed and took Lea's hand.

Kiu skipped along with Lea as he walked her home. She could still feel the stinging in her hands from her new friend. But it would be worth it so long as he was safe. Everyone needed a place to belong after all.

The young blonde girl blinked open her bright orange doe eyes. She slowly twitched her fingers, being sure she could still move them. She blinked once again trying to place the dry, hot feeling under her skin. She was sprawled out her face pressed to the ground. There was hardly any sunlight where she was. But it was still hot. She realized the dry hotness under her fingers had to be dirt.

The girl slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position. Her hair fell into her face, blocking her view of her surroundings. The long blonde locks had streaks of black. The girl had to stop and stare at the streaks for a moment. That wasn't her hair color. Or, she didn't think it was. The girl blinked again and reached to touch her hair. Her fingers ran through it effortlessly, clearing her vision for just a moment.

There were keyblades everywhere.

The blonde quickly forgot her hair and brushed it out of her face. Her orange eyes widened as she looked around. The barren wasteland was filled with keys. In front of her was a yellow gold one, stabbed into the ground. The girl reached out the hilt and gripped it tightly. Her small hand fit around the grip perfectly. On the back of her hand was a strange symbol she knew she had seen before. A gold heart with a silver outline and x crossing through it. Her gaze moved from the heart back to the key slowly.

This is mine.

The girl didn't know how she knew that, but she knew it nonetheless. She pulled herself up using the key as support. She was having difficulties remembering anything. Where she was. Why she was there. What her name was. It was all eluding her thoughts. It was hanging on the tips of her thoughts, but receded anytime she got close.

The girl looked around in wonder her lips parted slightly. She blinked slowly. She remembered this place. She had been here with her friends. The girl frowned looking down. Who were her friends? She slowly reached for her pocket on instinct. She was surprised to feel something cool and smooth in her pocket.

The girl slowly pulled out a pink charm shaped like a star. It looked like it was made of glass. In the center was a silver heart charm very much like the one on the back of her hand, but very different at the same time. The glass around the heart was a yellowish gold color that faded into the pink. The girl blinked as she ran her finger over the charm slowly. Her mouth slowly moved, shaping words that never came with sound.

Very suddenly the girl looked up and looked around.

"Aqua?!" The girl called out. She drew her keyblade from the ground and stepped forward, weaving her way through the keys. "Ven?!" She called as she continued walking. "Terra?!"

The girl paused for a moment to listen for a reply. She didn't hear anything. She looked up to the sky. She let out a grateful sigh seeing no blue heart-shaped moon above her. She remembered now. She remembered the battle and everything that had lead up to it. She knew who she was.

"Aqua?! Ven?! Terra?!" Y yelled out once again. "Guys! Are you here?!" She spun around, her grip tightening on the charm in her hand. There was no reply to her desperate cries. Not even the wind rose up. "Guys? Aqua?...Terra?...Ven..."

Y stopped in the center of the crossroads. The last place they had all stood together. There was nothing in sight. Not a living creature of any kind. Looking around Y saw a patch of red on the dirt. Her stomach clenched and she felt her chest heave. She knew she had nothing to throw up, but she felt that she would anyway.

"No." Y said softly. "It can't be. They can't be gone." Her voice was hardly above a whisper as she fell to her knees. She dropped her key beside her, letting it vanish in its ray of light. She clutched the pink charm to her chest tightly. She looked down and closed her eyes, fighting off the stinging tears. A lump formed in her throat as she began to give soundless sobs.

Tears soon rolled down her cheeks as her sobs continued. She felt the charm in her hand cut into her palms but she didn't care. Her grip tightened, clinging to the only thing she had left of her friends. The sound of her sobs filled the air as her tears fell off her face and hit the cracked dirt that had not seen rain in a very long time.

"How? How did this happen to us?" Y asked in between her sobs. She opened her eyes and looked up at the cloud-covered sky. "What did we do to deserve this?! What did we do?!" Y yelled to no one in particular. "How could you take them from me?! Give them back!"

"Give them back," Y whispered looking back down to the ground. She pulled the charm away from her chest and looked at it. One of her tears dropped onto the charm. "Where do I go now? Home is gone. They're gone. I'm, I'm not me anymore. What do I do?" Y asked. She let out a breath and pulled the charm close to her heart again, closing her eyes.

When Y looked up again she was surprised to see a black portal like the ones she had always seen Vanitas use. Y jumped back from the portal, rising to her feet. She watched the portal carefully, waiting for someone to come through it. After a minute Y relaxed slightly. No one had come through.

She slowly stepped toward the portal waiting for it to close or unleash an army of Unversed on her. When no such thing happened she took another wary step toward it.

"Am I supposed to go through it?" Y asked. She looked down at the charm before looking back up at the portal. She took a deep breath and stepped into the cool darkness.

Y took in a sharp breath as she exited the portal. She was in a pure white room. The heart symbol of her home decorated the walls. As she took her final step into the room the portal closed behind her. Y glanced over her shoulder before looking around the room. There was a large throne in the center of the room. Y was looking at the back of it.

Y slowly worked her way around the throne. Her eyes widened as she came to a stop beside it. Ven was sitting in the chair, his eyes closed. Y stepped forward and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Ven?" She asked. She shook his shoulder lightly. "Ven, come on. Wake up." Y slowly removed her hand as she looked at Ven. She looked down slowly. "You won't wake up, will you?" She asked. Once again she felt tears prickle the back of her eyes. She blinked and sniffled, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "That's ok. I'll stay here anyway. Keep you company until you wake up." Y smiled up at Ven, closing her eyes as more tears fell down her cheeks. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the cat-like plush she always carried. She set it on the chair beside Ven and smiled despite her tears.

"Sweet dreams Ven."

* * *

 _A/N: Almost forgot to update this today. This is the last actual chapter, it will be followed by the epilogue that I'll put up next weekend. After that it's on to Kingdom Hearts II._

 _Gry22, once again I love the idea, but I'm actually going to use it in Dream Drop Distance. I'm planning ahead a few stories so I know I'm ready when I finally get to them. I am very grateful you are taking the time to share these ideas with me, and I love every single bit of them. If I hadn't had so much planned in advance I'd probably use them just as you come up with them._

 _Thanks again to everyone for sticking with me. I'm grateful to every single one of you._


	34. Epilogue

**Epilogue; Reconnect**

They say that all heroes follow the same story arc. It's always the same, every story you read. No matter what the hero wins. The heroes are always put up against innumerable odds that seem to be impossible to overcome. But no matter what, they do.

All alone in the realm of darkness X found himself wondering, what about the villain?

There was no guide book for a villain. No set story arc. They just had to oppose the hero, in anyway. They could want power, or redemption, or nothing at all. In their eyes, they could be the hero. But they were the ones who lost, every time. Was there ever more to the story? Did every villain come to this place? The place where they could only regret their decisions. Wonder where they went wrong. Wish they could go back and change it all.

Heroes had it easy, X decided. Heroes didn't know the feeling of falling, not really. Watching everything rush by so fast, you can trick yourself you're flying towards the sky. Everything is going your way, and you're invincible. Until you hit the bottom and lose everything in a split second. Until it suddenly dawns on you, that you lost the war before it even started. You never stood a chance. And then, you fall farther than the bottom. Crashing to the ground so fast you don't even know you've hit the earth. And you just keep going. You bury yourself beneath everything. The guilt, the shame, the anger. And eventually you lose the light of the sky entirely and have nothing but the earth around you, welcoming you into darkness. The place they say every villain belonged.

Sure, heroes took that one step that made it impossible for them to go back to normal. But villains, they took a bigger step. They could never return anywhere. They cast themselves out of existence, only to be remembered for losing. For being wrong. And eventually, they would be forgotten, remembered only as the evil queen, or the wicked witch, or the harsh king.

The path of a villain was not set in stone. But their ending was. Their story always left them in the same place. Alone.

It was no more than X felt he deserved. He destroyed so much, everything he touched. At least if he was alone he wouldn't hurt anyone. He could protect everything, if he just stayed away from it. He would exile himself back to where darkness belonged. Hidden away, out of sight. He would only show those who came to him a way to the light, nothing more. No kindness. No power. Just like darkness was said to have done. He would show all others the right way, the heroes journey. The safe journey. The journey that didn't end in despair and guilt.

X yawned leaning back on one of the rocks that faced the ocean. The realm of darkness had been getting weird lately. It was filling up with worlds that had once belonged to the light. But they were falling now. One by one.

X narrowed his cat-like eyes at the sound of the sand crunching. Someone was coming this way. He hadn't seen anyone in the realm of darkness before. Not even Aqua, who he knew wandered this place. He had thought he was alone.

"I don't know who you are, or what you want, but I don't care. Leave." X said calmly looking down with a sigh. He closed his eyes as he waited for the sound of retreating footsteps. Instead the footsteps stopped entirely.

"Such a sore attitude. Shouldn't you at least hear us out?" A lilting voice said. X's eyes snapped open as he turned to face the voice. Behind him was a teenage girl, perhaps a year older than him in appearance. She had bright red hair that fell past her shoulders and bangs that brushed across her forehead. Her bright gold eyes were focused on him playfully. Freckles dotted her pale skin. Beside her was a blonde woman with kind dark blue eyes. Her hair was tied back away from her soft features. Both wore a white hooded coat.

"Maru?" X asked looking the red haired girl. It didn't seem right. Maru had crystal blue eyes, not gold. But he knew that voice.

"Not quite." The redhead said, stepping forward. She smiled at X mischievously. X frowned watching her. "My name is Aryum. This here is Zaya." She motioned to the blonde woman. X looked at her and frowned. He had seen her. All those years before. She was like him. So that meant Aryum was like him too.

"Right, I remember her." X said, studying the woman. Her smile was more genuine than the one she had had the first time they met. Her eyes were warm, and filled with care. X wondered how hard that was for her to fake.

"I'm surprised to see you again, to say the least." Zaya said, keeping her smile. X frowned as he searched for meaning in those words. Had she expected him to die? Or did she just brush him off? X decided not to dwell on it and continued to look between the two with a calculating glare.

"What do you two want?" X asked softly. Aryum grinned at his question, daring to take a step forward.

"Have you heard of organization 14?" She asked. X frowned, his eye brows coming together to form a shallow v.

"No." X said.

"Well, now you have." Aryum said. "It's a gathering of elite Heartless like ourselves. We want to recruit you." She explained. X tilted his head to the side. He didn't trust that. Not even a little.

"Why?" He asked, glaring at the two in turn. People only came to him if they wanted something. If they wanted to use him. And he wouldn't be used again.

"No reason really. We just think we should stick together. We do stand a better chance together after all." Zaya replied. X focused his cold glare on her. He saw her shift nervously and glance away before looking back to him trying not to break eye contact.

"Better chance against what?" X asked. Zaya swallowed nervously before replying.

"It's been about ten years, but the keyblade has finally shown itself again. The wielder could come after us at any time." She explained. X frowned yet again. Only one? How strange. Usually they showed up in numbers at a time. But that didn't matter. It wasn't worth his time to worry about.

"So I join your club, then what?" X asked.

"You do missions and mind your own business. Work until we can all get our hearts back." Aryum answered. X's frown deepened. He didn't really care if he got his heart back. But if he could find out how to do it, maybe he could make things right. Maybe he could save her.

"Fine." X decided with a sigh. "I'm in."

Organization 14 was not a group X enjoyed. He had been with them for well over a year and he couldn't say he liked any of them. Except perhaps the newest member. She had only been there seven days. X hadn't heard much about her aside from the fact that she wielded two keyblades. He didn't think that was possible, but it would be interesting to see.

X stopped and leaned up against the white wall of Castle Oblivion. Aryum was not far away looking around the castle with a frown. X had been given the task of investigating the castle with Aryum. It was a pretty common task. For having access to the castle for as long as they had they knew very little about it.

"What's so important about this castle anyways?" X asked suddenly. Aryum turned to face him. She was frowning at X. He guessed she thought it was common sense. She smiled suddenly and looked away.

"It used to be a world meant for training keyblade wielders. Place called the Land of Departure." She explained. X froze and his eyes widened. He stepped away from the wall and looked around the halls. That wasn't possible, he had watched that world fall. Destroyed it with his own hands.

"You're kidding me, right?" X asked. Aryum raised an eyebrow in question. She watched as X looked around in wonder. He rarely showed any emotion, his surprise was strange.

"No, why would I be?" She finally asked. X stopped and turned to face her.

"The Land of Departure fell into darkness." He said. Aryum inclined her head and began pacing around ahead of him again. She looked up at the ceiling with a soft smile.

"It was saved somehow. Saved and turned into this." She motioned to the walls as she spun to face X again. X frowned at her motion. He turned away from her and began pacing the halls. Aryum watched him a moment before smirking and walking the opposite direction he did.

X wandered on his own taking in the halls. Ten years. It had been ten years since he had been here. And the last time he had been there he had betrayed the closest thing to a friend he ever really had. He had taken everything from him so he'd fall into darkness. And it had worked.

X stopped in front of a door way. He frowned as he looked up at them. They seemed out of place in the otherwise empty white hallways. There was something there. He knew it. X slowly reached out and touched his hand to the door. Much to his surprise the doors creaked open.

Looking inside X stepped back.

The room was white, just like most of the castle. There was a heart like symbol placed on the walls with glowing chains leading to a throne that had captured X's attention. Sitting on the arm of the throne was his sister. Her hand was reaching down holding onto the hand of the blonde boy X identified as Ventus. Y looked up at X calmly their eyes meeting. Her large doe eyes were no longer the warm chocolate brown they used to be. Instead they were bright orange. Her blonde hair was streaked with black, like the darkness was trying to claim her.

She stood slowly, taking a few steps away from Ventus. In her hand she summoned her keyblade. Light's Keeper. It was appropriate enough. She was still holding onto her light after all. X could see it clearly. She pointed her key at him a fire slowly beginning to burn in her eyes. X didn't move at all.

"Y." X said softly.

"X." Y said in return. Her voice was much stronger than his. X suspected that was the hatred talking. X didn't reply to his sisters greeting. He didn't know what to say. "Why are you here? You already ruined everything." Y spat. X chuckled to himself.

"I know." X said. He looked down at the ground refusing to meet with his sisters eyes. "Didn't know you were here. Never would have set foot here if I had known." He admitted softly. Y frowned watching him move. He was different than before.

"Why not?" Y asked angrily.

"I have no right to stand before you. I royally messed up. I should be the one suffering. Not you, not them." X answered. He kept his voice as quiet as he could but still be heard. Y frowned and watched her brother for a moment longer.

"How long has it been?" Y asked.

"Ten years, give or take a few days." X replied still refusing to look up.

"Ten years?" Y asked, dropping her keyblade a fraction of an inch. She shook her head and raised her key back to its original position. "That's not possible, it's not possible." She insisted.

"What exactly have you been doing this entire time?" X asked. He looked up at her out of the corner of his eye. She was watching him with a neutral expression. For once he didn't know what she was thinking. She could have been thinking anything.

"Sitting here. Waiting." Y replied. X snickered a small bit and looked away with a grin.

"And you didn't notice ten years passed?" He asked. Y frowned at him yet again. His soft voice was teasing. Not unkindly. It was more like they were kids again. Like they were back home and Y had done something X found funny. Like getting stuck up a tree or trip over her own feet.

"I thought maybe time was different." Y said softly. She was fighting the urge to smile at X. It really felt like old times. But looking over her shoulder at Ven Y steeled herself. It was probably another trick. Everything was his fault.

"It's not. You've been here for ten years." X said. He supposed it was better than dead like he had thought. But maybe she would have been better off dead. Maybe they both were. Being a Heartless wasn't a great thing.

"And what have you been doing? Celebrating?" Y asked acidly. X slowly shook his head.

"No." He said softly. Y frowned at him. Her eyes narrowed at him as she looked him over. Something really was different about him. But Y couldn't decide what. He couldn't really be regretting what he had done. He had to just be playing another trick on her.

"Why not? You got what you wanted, didn't you? Kingdom Hearts?" Y asked, her voice seeming only taunting. X rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"If we had you wouldn't be alive, and your friend wouldn't be sitting there at all." X said, nodding toward Ventus. Y looked over her shoulder at Ven quickly before looking back at her brother. The angry fire in her eyes had resurfaced, fueled by the fate of her beloved friends.

"So what? You gave up last minute?" She asked. X shook his head again.

"No, Ventus destroyed the key." He replied. Y smirked at him.

"Oh, excuse me for not weeping at your loss." She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. X had forgotten she could be just as sarcastic as him sometimes. Worse even.

"Don't expect you to. You lost more anyway." X said. Y lost her smirk at his words. He wasn't acting at all how she expected him to. He should have been angry and cursing. They had taken his victory after all. But he wasn't angry. He just seemed, broken. "If you want to kill me go ahead." X said suddenly, startling Y out of her thoughts.

"What?" Y asked in shock, her keyblade dropping to her side. X looked up at her calmly. His purple eyes looked bloodshot. Y couldn't understand why.

"You said it yourself, I ruined everything. So go ahead. Kill me. It's the least I deserve for what I did to all of you." He said. Y blinked in surprise.

"You're joking, right?" Y asked. X laughed harshly and shook his head yet again. He looked at Y straight on for what seemed like the first time the entire conversation.

"Why would I be joking? I as good as killed Terra. I deserve to suffer the way you all are." X said his voice straining. Y let out a startled breath as a single tear rolled down the side of her brothers face. As she watched him, her lips parted in shock more tears followed the first. "But isn't that cruel irony. I'm not being punished at all. I'm walking free with only the guilt while you all live through hell. I'd give anything to trade places with just one of you. If I could go back and save you all I would. I was an idiot. But nothing I can do about it now, just have to pay the price." X continued closing his eyes as if trying to hold back the tears freely flowing down his cheek. He kneeled down suddenly, lowering his head. "So just kill me." He whispered.

"X... I-" Y began. Words escaped her at his actions. He was serious. He wanted to die.

"You hate me, right?" X assumed. He laughed bitterly though he was still crying. "No more than I deserve. I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. You don't have to forgive me. But you should know how sorry I am." He continued. Y banished her keyblade and took a cautious step forward. This wasn't a trick. She knew that now. X never cried. In all the years she had known them he had never cried once. Not when the seperated, not when he broke his arm. Never.

But here he was crying for her friends. Crying for his mistakes.

"Shut up." Y ordered. She walked over to him and dropped on her knees in front of him. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close to her. She could feel him tense up in shock. But he returned the hug resting his head on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." X repeated with shaking breaths. Y smiled and shook her head. She closed her eyes fighting off her own tears.

"I know." She said. "And as stupid as this is, I forgive you. So just shut up."

"I'm sorry." X said weakly.

"I said shut up." Y replied with silent tears streaming down her face.

* * *

 _A/N: And that is it for the story, my friends. It was a great fun to write and I loved reading all of your reviews. Now, my original plan was to just continue on from here straight into Kingdom Hearts II. However, since the series is coming to a close soon, I've decided to wait until I have beat KHIII. Now, I will get the game the day of it's release internationally, I promise I will play it as often as I can until I beat it. I don't know how long it will take, but I will publish the next story as soon as I can._

 _Thank you all for your support, I hope to see you in the next one._


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